Football hooligans target Israeli supporters as disorder unfolds in Amsterdam

Dutch police have arrested 57 people in Amsterdam, and others have been left injured, after disorder surrounding a football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The two sides faced each other at the Johan Cruyff Arena, with Ajax winning 5-0. The first arrests took place hours before the game, as Israeli supporters gathered in the city centre.

There were then further arrests at a planned demonstration against the arrival of the Tel Aviv side’s players, and after the match, hooligans targeted Israeli supporters.

Footage shared on social media shows Israeli supporters pulling down a Palestinian flag in central Amsterdam. Anti-Arab chants can also be heard.

Other video footage shows crowds running through the streets and a man being beaten.

The Israeli military said it has sent two planes to Amsterdam on a rescue mission to help its citizens who were targeted.

“The mission will be deployed using cargo aircraft and include medical and rescue teams,” the Israeli Defence Forces said.

Maccabi supporters had gathered in the Dam Square in the afternoon before the match, and around 10 people there were arrested for criminal offences including disrupting public disorder, police said.

Meanwhile, a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration took place at the Anton de Komplein square, around a 15-minute walk from the Johan Cruyff Arena. Local authorities had barred organisers from holding the demonstration at the ground.

Part of this group tried to get to the ground but were stopped by riot police, who were pelted with fireworks, the force said.

Around 30 people were arrested at and near the arena, most of them for disrupting public order and carrying or lighting fireworks, the statement continued.

Police said fans left the arena without incident after the match, but clashes were reported in the city centre during the night.

Videos posted on social media showed crowds running through the streets and a man being beaten.

More from Sky News:
Three charged in connection with Liam Payne’s death
How Trump 2.0 will differ from his first presidency

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday morning that the Israeli prime minister had been informed of the details of “a very violent incident” in Amsterdam.

Israel‘s national security ministry urged its citizens in the Dutch city to stay in their hotels, the prime minister’s office added.

Israeli security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a post on X: “Fans who went to see a football game, encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness.”

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a post on X that he had “followed the news from Amsterdam with disgust.”

He added that he was in touch with Mr Netanyahu about the incident and said the city was now “calm”.