Netherlands, police detain dozens of protesters at pro-Palestinian rally after soccer violence

2024-11-10 22:44:45, Kosova & Bota CNA

Netherlands, police detain dozens of protesters at pro-Palestinian rally after

Dutch police on Sunday detained more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters who defied an order banning protests in Amsterdam, following clashes with Israeli fans last week.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in the Dutch capital's Dam Square chanting "Free Palestine" and "Amsterdam says no to Gaza genocide", referring to the war in Gaza. Israel has denied committing genocide in its more than year-long offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

After the court upheld the decision taken by the City Council, the police acted by instructing the protesters to leave and surrounded 100 of them, according to a Reuters reporter. They were taken on buses to the outskirts of the city, police spokeswoman Ramona van den Ochtend said, without confirming the exact number.

One protester was taken to the ambulance bleeding.

The order to stop the protests, which was postponed for another 4 days, i.e. until Thursday, has been in force since Friday, after the attacks on Israeli fans, after the match between the Maccabi Tel Aviv team and Ajax Amsterdam.

At least five people were injured in the attacks, which Dutch authorities and foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, described as anti-Semitic.

On Sunday, Israel called on its citizens to avoid attending cultural and sporting events abroad involving Israelis over the next week. A statement released by Prime Minister Netanyahu's office said that Israel had information from the secret services that pro-Palestinian groups abroad intended to harm Israelis in cities in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and others.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he will be present at the 'Stade de France' stadium, in the football match between France and Israel, on Thursday.

President Macron's gesture is intended to send "a message of brotherhood and solidarity following the intolerable acts of anti-Semitism that followed the match in Amsterdam," his office said.

In the Netherlands, organizers of the protest said in a message shared on the social network Instagram that they were outraged that the riots related to the match were labeled as "anti-Semitic" and condemned the decision to ban the protests.

"We refuse to allow the charge of anti-Semitism to be used to suppress the Palestinian resistance," they said.

Four people continue to be under arrest under suspicion of violent acts, including two minors. 40 people were fined for public nuisance and 10 for other violations, including vandalism./ VOA