Photo: BBC.
Protest in support of Palestine
In the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, police detained nearly 300 protesters who gathered in Dam Square last night to demonstrate in support of Palestine. The protests took place despite a ban imposed after an incident with Israeli football fans. This was reported by the news portal TimeUkraineIsrael with reference to information from Israelinfo.
Slogans and violations of the ban
Demonstrators, many of whom were carrying Palestinian flags, chanted slogans in support of Palestine, such as “Amsterdam says no to genocide” and “Freedom for Palestine”. According to local media, the protesters began gathering at the Dam around 6 p.m., despite an order from local authorities banning such actions due to possible unrest in the city.
Police response and detention
Police, equipped with special equipment to disperse the protesters, soon arrived at the scene. As a result, 281 people were detained. 265 protesters were arrested for disobeying orders to disperse, and another 8 were arrested for possession of items that could disturb public order or cause bodily harm. Four people were arrested for violence, vandalism, hooliganism and refusal to obey police.
Incident investigation
An investigation is currently underway into the riots that took place in Amsterdam last weekend. Politicians from the Netherlands and Israel have already condemned the attacks on Israeli football fans at the highest level, calling them manifestations of anti-Semitism. However, the Arab community in Amsterdam claims that these actions were a response to provocations by Maccabi fans who had previously attacked Arab citizens and shouted anti-Arab slogans.
Conflict with Maccabi fans
In turn, the city’s police reported that fans of the Israeli club Maccabi also attacked a taxi driver, tore down and burned Palestinian flags, which triggered another wave of violence by anti-Israeli individuals.
