More riots in Amsterdam
There were more riots and vandalism in Amsterdam this evening, and a tram caught fire. Last week there were anti-Semitic attacks in the city around a football match.
Just a few days after the violent scenes surrounding a football match, there were more riots in Amsterdam: According to the police, dozens of young men rioted in the west of the Dutch city in the evening.
Fireworks were set off and thrown at cars, it was said. A tram caught fire, the police reported on X. An unknown number of people were arrested. The police had to clear the square where the scenes took place.
Background to the new riots unclear
How the riots came about is still unclear, according to the police – just like the question of whether they are connected to the anti-Semitic attacks last Friday around the football match of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Mainly young offenders actively and purposefully hunted down Israelis on the sidelines of the Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam. According to the authorities, 20 to 30 people were injured in the attacks, most of them slightly.
Five more arrests
The public prosecutor’s office said that suspected offenders would be pursued with the full force of the law. A total of 63 people were initially arrested. On Monday, the police announced the arrests of five more men aged between 18 and 37 in connection with this.
UEFA has now taken action for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s next match and moved it to neutral ground: The duel on November 28 with the traditional Istanbul club Besiktas will take place in the Hungarian city of Debrecen. Spectators are not allowed following a decision by the Hungarian authorities, it was further stated.
Rioters throw stones at vehicles and police in Amsterdam, three arrests
Riots broke out in Amsterdam Nieuw-West last night. The riot police were deployed. According to the police, the worst of the unrest was over by the end of the evening.
The unrest started around 7:15 PM on Plein ’40-’45. A group of dozens of people caused destruction, threw heavy fireworks and threw stones at cars. A tram was set on fire after fireworks were thrown into it. A bus was also pelted with stones.
Around 10:15 PM it became clear that the square was accessible again. The rioters had moved to Slotermeerlaan. There, officers were pelted with stones, the police confirmed after reporting by AT5.
Anti-Semitic insults
It is unclear what caused the destruction. The police arrested three people and do not rule out that more arrests will follow. According to a spokesperson, there is a lot of camera footage that can help identify people.
Videos show people shouting anti-Semitic insults. Some of the people present had their faces covered. There were people on fat bikes and scooters, and there was also a line of cars that came to see what had happened.
There was no one on the tram when the fire broke out. The fire was quickly extinguished. There are no reports of injured people being taken to hospital. According to the police, one of the troublemakers was injured by setting off fireworks. This person was treated on the spot.
Cyclist attacked
Het Parool writes that a boy on a bicycle was beaten up. “People are agitated. The police really saved me,” he says to a reporter from the newspaper.
