An Israeli football fan in Amsterdam has described the fear he felt when mobs shouting antisemitic chants chased him back to his hotel last night.
Iddo, a Maccabi Tel Aviv supporter, told GB News that he escaped a “brutal” situation in Amsterdam last night.
“I am safe now, but the situation here in the city was brutal.”
Describing what happened after the final whistle, Iddo said: “I went on the train back to the centre of the city and then when we got out, hundreds of pro-Palestinians attacked us.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters pictured before the game before they were chased through streets by thugs with knives in an 'antisemitic attack'
GB News
He added: “It wasn’t because of our football club, they shouted ‘Jews, Jews, Jews’ and started attacking us.
“All of us were targeted. People ran for their lives and they followed us to our hotels and tried to attack the Maccabi fans there.”
Iddo told GB News that “a lot of people were injured,” but the hotels did not have sufficient medical supplies or support, as they did not anticipate these attacks.
“I went to the police station and they told me that they cannot do anything and they know that people are being attacked in the streets.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Israeli football supporters and Dutch youth clash near Amsterdam Central stationReuters
Israeli football supporters and Dutch youth clash near Amsterdam Central stationReutersHe said that he knew of several Maccabi fans being treated in hospital, many with injuries to their heads. Some family members in Israel are still searching for updates about their loved ones, GB News understands.
The fan said that his friends split into small groups. Friends of his escaped back to the hotel via another route.
He claims that people were attacked by fireworks and chased by men brandishing knives.
The Maccabi supporter said he avoided being attacked, having sprinted back to the hotel, but he encountered many injured supporters.
Iddo said the scenes reminded him of the incidents from the 1930s and 1940s in Europe, when people “kicked and attacked Jews in the streets,” adding: “What we saw last night was pure antisemitism.”
But the football fan vowed to keep following his club.
Dutch mobile Police officers stand guard after several scuffles broke out in the city center following the UEFA Europa League matchGetty“As a Jew in Europe, it’s not easy, but I want to believe that Israeli fans who go to Europe will be protected by police in Europe. It’s not just Maccabi Tel Aviv, there are many other Israeli clubs who play on the continent.
“I need the authorities across Europe to do their homework, learn from what happened last night, and do all the things that the Amsterdam police did not do.”
Iddo told GB News that he was returning to Israel on an El Al flight tonight.
The country’s flag carrier said it was putting on additional flights after the attacks in the streets.
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv stage a pro-Israel demonstration at the Dam Square, lighting up flares and chanting slogansGettyThe airline does not usually fly on Saturdays, due to Shabbat customs and Jewish religious law, but it has put on additional overnight flights after receiving permission from the country’s newly appointed Chief Rabbis, Rabbi David Yosef and Rabbi Kalman Bar.
Back in the Netherlands, Israelis visiting Amsterdam have been told to stay in their hotel rooms by local authorities.
“There is no excuse for the antisemitic behaviour exhibited last night by rioters who actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack and assault them,” the city’s leadership said today.
A surge in police officers in the Dutch capital is expected in the coming days.
At a press conference this morning, Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said she was shocked and “very sad” about the situation, which she described as a “shame” for the city and its reputation.
The capital’s police chief, Peter Holla, also said he was “really shocked” by the events.
He reported that some Israelis had been attacked and “abused in a terrible way.”
