Amsterdam bans pro-Palestine protesters from rallying outside Ajax-Maccabi TLV match
The mayor and law enforcement expressed concern about the likelihood of violent confrontations between fans.
The mayor of Amsterdam has banned pro-Palestine protests outside the Johan Cruyff Stadium ahead of Thursday night’s Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer game.
Mayor Femke Halsema, alongside the police and the public prosecutor, announced a ban on a demonstration planned outside the main gate, fearing clashes between fans. The rally has been moved a kilometer away.
Halsema told Amsterdam’s AT5 that “violent confrontations are a realistic prospect.”
She said the city could find no way to facilitate the demonstration without compromising on safety, adding that she offered the demonstrators, united under Week 4 Palestine, an alternative location.
Week 4 Palestine posted on Instagram with the words “we have no other choice,” appearing to accept the decision.
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The group added that they were expecting “a large number of Zionist football hooligans” and were concerned that IDF soldiers would “cause issues.”
Clashes begin
The group encouraged protesters to hide their keffiyehs and Palestine symbols until the protest starts.
Israeli fans who traveled to Amsterdam told N12 they had already been attacked by Turkish soccer fans.
“They waited for us outside the casino,” they said.
“Every Israeli who ordered a taxi got ambushed by eight Turks who beat them up. In the end, we walked with a police escort from the casino to Dam Square, with Turks carrying sticks and such passing by us the entire way. It was the scariest experience I’ve had in football.”
Some 3,000 Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are expected to attend the Ajax match, despite the intense efforts of BDS organizations to have the game canceled.
Signs and banners appeared across the city reading, “Kick Israel out of the UEFA.”
In one video posted by Week 4 Palestine, a man appears to be flailing in a canal. The caption reads, “A Zionist got a free swimming lesson.”
A voice can be heard saying in the video, “Say free Palestine and we go.” It is not clear whether the man was pushed into the water. The Jerusalem Post reached out to Netherlands Police for comment.
In another post, the group seemingly doxes a Maccabi fan by posting a picture of his social media, where he can be seen in his Israeli Air Force uniform.
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