Police investigate a campaign organized online by pro-Palestinian groups to attack Israeli fans in Amsterdam

Four days after the attacks on Israeli soccer fans in the streets of Amsterdam, the commotion persists in the Netherlands, faced with a wave of violence whose ramifications do not stop. “It was a shame. We need tougher measures,” said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof yesterday at a press conference after the government meeting on the altercations after the match between local Ajax and Israeli Maccabi last Thursday. Police are now investigating a tip that points to a campaign of organized attacks.

Dutch police reported 62 arrests following the violent incidents, in which between 20 to 30 Maccabi fans were injured after being attacked by individuals who, according to the Dutch police, had responded to messages on social networks calling for attacks on Jews. The match was held calmly, despite the fact that some Israeli fans did not respect the minute of silence in memory of the victims of the floods in Spain, a country that recently recognized the State of Palestine.

These altercations took place against a backdrop of increased anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli acts following the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip more than a year ago. Yesterday, the new Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Saar, complained about the scale of the arrests. “The mayor of Amsterdam informed me that a special investigation team has been set up, but I can say that so far, “The number of arrests is very low.”Saar declared at a press conference, adding that Israel offered its help for the investigations.

Among the new clues, one in particular concentrates the attention of the local police, according to what the newspaper reported yesterday. The Wall Street Journal. Police say that on Thursday, before the attack, Israeli fans had become a topic of discussion on popular messaging apps, such as Telegram and WhatsApp, where some users called for a Jodenjacht, or “Jew hunt.”

The campaign was organizedDutch authorities said, and the attackers were equipped with fireworks and moved quickly, attacking Israeli fans with hit-and-run attacks. Police said they were investigating who instigated the attacks and how they were coordinated. The Telegram app was used to talk about “hunting Jews,” said Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. “This is so shocking and despicable that I still can’t get over it. “It’s a shame,” he said.

A screenshot of a pro-Palestinian WhatsApp group chat, seen by the Journal, called for a “Jew hunt” on Thursday and referred to a Wednesday night confrontation in which a group of Israeli fans was cornered by a crowd which police said included taxi drivers who had responded to an online call to get around.

“They knew everything,” said Shachar Bitton, a 30-year-old Maccabi fan. “They knew exactly where we were staying. They knew exactly which hotels, which street we were going to take. “Everything was well organized, well prepared.”

WhatsApp, a messaging app owned by Meta Platforms, said using the app to organize violence is against its rules and said it would respond to any legal requests. Telegram, in turn, specified that had closed a group chat that could have been linked to the events in Amsterdam and that he was willing to cooperate with the authorities. Telegram stated that it does not tolerate calls for violence on its platform.

From Thursday afternoon until early Friday, according to Dutch authorities, groups of anti-Semites chased Israelis on motorcycles through the streets, harassing and beating them. The attacks occurred after several videos circulated on the internet, the origin of which could not be verified, in which Maccabi fans were seen tearing down a Palestinian flag and chanting slogans in Hebrew about the war in Gaza.

Among the 62 detained, prosecutors said, there are four suspects, including two minors, who remain arrested on suspicion of participating in the violence.

The attacks spread in Amsterdam during a week in which the Dutch commemorate Kristallnacht, when the Nazis attacked Jews and their property on November 9 and 10, 1938, in the months before World War II.

European cities with large Muslim populations They have become tinderboxes of tension after the war in Gaza.

Authorities have recorded an increase in anti-Semitic acts since Hamas murdered 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, triggering a military offensive with more than 40,000 Palestinians killed.