Israeli and Dutch officials denounced the violence as “anti-Semitic” after it occurred, and on Friday, an aircraft carrying Israeli football fans home from Amsterdam touched down at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport.
The violence broke out following a Europa League football match between Amsterdam team Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, and according to Dutch police, 62 people were arrested in connection with the incident.
After the first flight bringing evacuees landed Friday afternoon, the Israel Airports Authority said that Israeli flag carrier El Al was sending six planes to the Netherlands to bring the fans home.
Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the Mossad espionage agency to develop a strategy to stop future disturbances at athletic events.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said the city had been “deeply damaged” by “hateful anti-Semitic rioters” who hunted down and attacked fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in a night of “unbearable” violence.
Halsema described gangs on scooters targeting fans of the Israeli club, beating and kicking them in “hit-and-run” assaults, leaving five people hospitalised.
“This is an outburst of anti-Semitism that I hope to never see again,” Halsema said, adding that she was “ashamed” by the violence.
Despite a “sporting” atmosphere in the ground and a huge police presence, authorities were unable to stop the rapid attacks on fans in several parts of the city.
Fan Amit Ganor, 21, said he was attacked on the way from the railway station to his hotel.
“We were lucky enough to run and to manage to go to the hotel, but some guys in the streets weren’t able to do this so they got hit,” he told AFP at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
“We came for a football match… We came to support our team and cheer them. The fact that I was attacked, only (for) being Jewish… makes no sense.”
