Night of chaos in Amsterdam: Soccer match leads to unexpected street violence
Last yearʼs soccer match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv turned violent in Amsterdamʼs streets. Multiple attacks occurred after the game leading to dozens of arrests and emergency city-wide measures
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
