Amsterdam banned demonstrations for three days from Friday after overnight attacks on Israeli soccer supporters by what the mayor called "antisemitic hit-and-run squads", and Israel sent planes to the Netherlands to fly fans home.
Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had been "attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks" around the city, and that riot police intervened to protect them and escort them to hotels.
Alon, a 26-year-old fan from Tel Aviv, arrived in Amsterdam on Tuesday with modest hopes for a win but high expectations for a memorable experience. In his worst nightmares, he hadn’t imagined leaving Schiphol Airport on a rescue flight, nursing a bandaged nose from punches to his face.
"Everything felt normal before the game," Alon said. “Sure, we know there are Arabs in Europe, and we sensed their presence. They arrived in groups, and after we split up outside the subway station at Dam Square, it all began. They started shouting ‘murderers’ at us. I, along with two others, tried to reach the nearest police station, but it was closed. We were directed to another station, and on the way, around 25 of them, some masked attacked us. The two with me managed to escape, but I took the punches. Luckily, being near the station prevented them from doing worse.”
Now boarding a rescue flight, Alon expressed relief. “I feel fine. We’re used to these things in Israel. I’ve never been afraid at an away game, and I won’t be in the future—we’ll just go in bigger groups.”
A taxi driver saved me
Oz Mahlev, 22, from Herzliya, arrived in Amsterdam after watching Tuesday’s match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, where home fans held a “Free Palestine” banner. “The game was fine, but as soon as we left and got off the subway, chaos began,” he recounted. “When we reached the square, we saw at least 100–150 Palestinians, Turks, and Moroccans waiting for us, chanting ‘Free Palestine.’”
“There were about 30 or 40 of us fans, so we weren’t scared at first. We decided to head to the hotel. But soon, a hundred people were chasing us. We tried to hold our ground, but they outnumbered us—four to one. They surrounded us, some carrying clubs, all of them prepared. It felt organized, like a planned assault. They told me to say ‘Free Palestine.’ I replied I’d never say it and recited the Shema prayer. Amazingly, after two minutes, a man came and rescued me. He was a taxi driver who pulled me out and yelled at the crowd, then drove me to safety. He truly saved me.”
Oz was treated for dizziness but was mainly concerned for his friends who had scattered. “We didn’t sleep that night. I had no idea where everyone was. We all got separated, and no one answered until 4 am. I couldn’t even check because I had to figure out how to reach my hotel and care for myself. When I finally arrived, I wanted to find everyone, but one friend didn’t respond, another hid in a different hotel’s lobby. We hadn’t expected this—everyone ran and hid. One fan had his leg broken and was taken by ambulance.”
“No more traveling for matches”
Roy Hadia, 22, from Rishon LeZion, decided at the airport terminal that he’s finished with Maccabi away games. “I’m never going abroad for Maccabi matches again, seriously. I regret leaving Israel in the first place. I went because there’s camaraderie between Ajax and Maccabi fans. We sing together, there’s a bond. We never thought they’d ambush us in the streets and attack us so brutally.”
“I ended up thinking this was it, that I was about to be killed and that people would see me on the news tomorrow, murdered in the street. I saw people getting stabbed and beaten; they were coming out of cars, attacking everyone who tried to run. Even the taxi drivers were against us—they wouldn’t pick us up, leaving us stranded. They knew we were Israeli, and they cursed us. All the taxi drivers were Muslim.”
But one Jewish driver, living in the Netherlands, came to help. “He got us to a hotel and the hospital,” Roy said. “At first, I fought back, but they kept coming, one after another. I managed until it was ten on one, and I fell. They kicked me in the face while I was on the ground. I tried to shield myself, but they robbed me, taking my watch, then left.”
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