Tensions in the capital of the Netherlands had been brewing after Maccabi football fans took down a Palestine flag.
The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is under strict security measures after clashes erupted this week between pro-Palestine supporters and fans of an Israeli football club before a UEFA Europa League match.
Tensions first escalated when Israeli football fans reportedly took down a Palestinian flag and chanted anti-Arab slogans – like “F*** you Palestine” and “No children left in Gaza”, according to videos verified by Reuters and eyewitnesses media spoke to on the ground – before their club’s match with a Dutch team.
Here’s what we know about the clashes, and the lead-up to the violence.
The clashes erupted in Amsterdam’s city centre, around Dam Square and Amsterdam Central Station.
Police said that the fans left the stadium calmly and without clashes.
Order in Amsterdam had been restored by around 3am local time (02:00 GMT) on Friday, said Police Chief Holla. Heightened security measures remain in place, particularly around Jewish buildings and monuments.
The past few days of violence have raised safety concerns about future matches involving Israeli teams in Europe. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s next scheduled away game in the Europa League is against the Turkish club Besiktas. Turkish authorities have already decided that the match will not be played in Istanbul and are discussing an alternative neutral venue.
Meanwhile, France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed that the Israeli national football team’s match in Paris for the Nations League would proceed as scheduled on November 14.
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