Assailants attacked Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam on Thursday, with the Dutch prime minister vowing those responsible would be “tracked down and prosecuted.”
Supporters of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team were set upon as they departed Amsterdam’s Johan Cruyff Arena after a Europa League game against Dutch team Ajax.
Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement on social media that the fans were “ambushed” and “brutally attacked,” blaming violent “mobs.” Footage of the incident appears to show people being chased and kicked to the ground, with one video showing passers-by being hit by a car at high speed.
Israeli media reported that some of the masked perpetrators shouted “Free Palestine” and that some of the victims’ passports were stolen. Ten people were hospitalized with injuries, according to the Times of Israel.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he “followed the news from Amsterdam with horror.”
“Completely unacceptable antisemitic attacks on Israelis,” Schoof wrote in a statement on social media, adding he had assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that those responsible would be “tracked down and prosecuted.”
Dutch police said in a statement that there had been a protest against the Israeli team prior to the match and more than 50 people had been arrested.
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on social media that he “views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity” and called for “vigorous and swift action against the rioters.”
“The harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked,” his office added.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the violence an “antisemitic pogrom.”
Israel was deploying two rescue planes to Amsterdam to evacuate Israeli citizens, the foreign ministry said.
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