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Tensions in the capital of the Netherlands had been brewing after Maccabi football fans took down a Palestine flag.
The Dutch capital of Amsterdam is under strict security measures after clashes erupted this week between pro-Palestine supporters and fans of an Israeli football club before a UEFA Europa League match.
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Tensions first escalated when Israeli football fans reportedly took down a Palestinian flag and chanted anti-Arab slogans – like “F*** you Palestine” and “No children left in Gaza”, according to videos verified by Reuters and eyewitnesses Al Jazeera spoke to on the ground – before their club’s match with a Dutch team.
What happened in Amsterdam, and when?
- Tensions in the city started building on Wednesday when supporters of the Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived in Amsterdam. Their match against Ajax, a Dutch football club, was scheduled for the next day.
- Later on Wednesday, Maccabi fans burned a Palestinian flag in the central Dam Square and vandalised a taxi, Amsterdam’s Police Chief Peter Holla told a news conference on Friday. A video verified by Reuters showed Maccabi fans setting off flares and chanting, “Ole, ole, let the [Israeli army] win, and F*** the Arabs”.
- Israeli fans also attacked houses displaying Palestinian flags, Jazie Veldhuyzen, a member of the Amsterdam City Council, told Al Jazeera.
- On Thursday evening, Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were chanting anti-Arab slogans as they marched towards the football stadium, video footage showed. Police escorted the fans to the match, and local authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrators from gathering outside the stadium. A pro-Palestinian march had been organised nearby at Anton de Komplein Square.
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