Amsterdam has imposed a three-day ban on public demonstrations after Israeli soccer fans were targeted in violent incidents overnight, which the mayor described as attacks by “antisemitic hit-and-run squads.” In response, Israel announced plans to bring numerous fans back home.

Mayor Femke Halsema stated that fans of Maccabi had been “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks” in various parts of Amsterdam. Riot police intervened to shield the fans and guide them to their accommodations, with at least five individuals requiring hospital treatment.

To counter the disturbances, Amsterdam has prohibited demonstrations over the weekend and granted police enhanced search-and-seize authority. The incidents highlighted intense anger related to the Gaza-Israel conflict.

According to Halsema, local police had been unprepared for the level of hostility as security services hadn’t flagged the Ajax Amsterdam match, a team often associated with Jewish identity, as a potential security risk. She reported that “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” had eluded a force of around 200 officers.

Security measures have been strengthened across Amsterdam, where a memorial service at a Jewish monument is scheduled for Shabbos. On Thursday, hundreds gathered to mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the infamous anti-Jewish pogrom carried out by the Nazis on November 9-10, 1938.

{Matzav.com}