Israel’s government is urging sports fans in the country not to attend cultural or sporting events abroad in the coming week.
This is stated in a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Here, Israel’s National Security Council urges Israelis to “avoid participating in sports matches or cultural events involving Israelis”.
The call applies in particular to an upcoming international soccer match between Israel and France, which will be played in Paris on Thursday.
Here, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, will be present at the stadium. This was announced by his office on Sunday.
It is to “send a signal of brotherhood and solidarity following the unacceptable anti-Semitic incidents that followed the match in Amsterdam this week,” the statement said.
On Wednesday and Thursday there were riots in Amsterdam, where the Dutch football club Ajax played a match against the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv.
On Wednesday evening, supporters of the Israeli football club marched through Amsterdam, tearing down a Palestinian flag, destroying a taxi and burning a Palestinian flag in a square in the city.
The police had to intervene against the Israelis, who started arguing with some taxi drivers.
During the game itself on Thursday night, the atmosphere was reportedly “sporting”.
But after the football fans left the stadium, the atmosphere became more aggressive.
On social media, videos of the evening spread quickly.
Among them is a video in which the Israeli soccer fans shout slogans like “Stop the Arabs! We win!”.
Even more videos show Israeli fans being assaulted.
The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, describes that large groups of “men on scooters” carried out “hit-and-run” attacks on the Israeli soccer fans.
The Israelis were beaten and kicked before the assailants disappeared again.
According to Dutch authorities, 62 were arrested. Five were hospitalized and all have since been discharged.
20 to 30 fans sustained minor injuries.
A number of Western leaders have condemned the incidents in Amsterdam, describing them as anti-Semitic attacks.
/ritzau/
Source: www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk
