A few days after violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans in Amsterdam, the European Football Union UEFA Maccabi Tel Aviv’s next away game in the Europa League has been moved to neutral ground. The duel on November 28th against the traditional Istanbul club Besiktas will take place in the Hungarian city of Debrecen. According to a decision by the Hungarian authorities, spectators are not allowed, it said.
On the night of Thursday to Friday there were targeted attacks on Israeli fans after the game at Ajax Amsterdam. The attacks were condemned worldwide as anti-Semitic violence. A total of 62 people were arrested around the game.
Even before the game there had been clashes between Israeli fans and pro-Palestinian Dutch. According to the police, Maccabi supporters also rioted and provoked people, including burning Palestinian flags.
Videos have also been published showing acts of violence by Israelis after the game. However, the Amsterdam authorities had emphasized that this was not a justification for the targeted violence against the Israelis.