A sports event in Amsterdam turned into street violence about a year ago when supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv faced attacks after their teamʼs match with Ajax Amsterdam
The trouble started mid-week when Maccabi fans got into small fights with local taxi-drivers and Ajax supporters; some incidents included flag-related problems and casino-area conflicts. Police had to step-in when taxi-drivers gathered near a building with four-hundred visiting fans inside
On match day the situation got more complex: some pro-Palestinian groups wanted the game cancelled while Ajaxʼs F-Side supporters (the teams main fan-group) said theyʼd keep politics out of football. The stadium area stayed calm but downtown Amsterdam became a hot-spot
Thatʼs Palestine; Thatʼs Gaza mother-fucker...now you know how it feels
The city has an interesting back-story - Ajax has Jewish links and its fans often carry specific symbols; however the team also has many muslim supporters. Amsterdamʼs population is quite mixed-up: less than 1% Jewish residents but around 15% Muslim citizens
Late at night things got really bad: small groups on motor-scooters started hit-and-run attacks on Maccabi supporters. Police tried to protect about 200 fans on Dam square but couldnt stop all attacks in other places. Five people needed hospital care and sixty-three suspects got caught
The city banned all demoʼs for the weekend and gave cops extra search-powers. The mayor Femke Halsema said these were anti-semitic attacks; which was extra surprising since Ajax and Maccabi usually have good fan relations