Far-right Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders has condemned the latest wave of anti-Semitisim to hit Amsterdam, after thugs chanting ‘cancer Jews’ violently rampaged across the city, culminating in the torching of a tram.
Video footage of the tram, near the ’40-’45 Square in western Amsterdam, taken on Monday night, showed a firework being lit inside before exploding, lighting a large fire inside and shattering a window.
Rioters could be heard cheering as the firework went off. Local media reported that they were heard screaming chants of ‘cancer Jews’.
Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV), took to X to warn: ‘After the Jew-hunt, the Intifada.’
Five people, all of them Dutch and aged between 18 and 37, were arrested following the latest flareup of violence, bringing the total number of people arrested since Thursday to 68.
Chanting thugs set a tram alight with a firework
Dutch police officers detain a man after riots in Amsterdam as violence continues in the city
Windows in the tram in Amsterdam have been smashed in the violence, police say it is unclear who started the fire
Geert Wilders (pictured) took to X to warn: ‘After the Jew-hunt, the Intifada.’
The tram inferno follows days of violence towards fans of an Israeli football team – during what was labelled a ‘Jew hunt’.
The city’s police force said there had been a tense atmosphere after five people were taken to hospital on Thursday following an Ajax match against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, where dozens of people were detained.
Youths on scooters and on foot went in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing to evade police, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.
Police said that four other men who had been arrested last week would remain in custody while the investigation continues.
Two of those men are minors, a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old from Amsterdam.
The other two men are from Amsterdam and a nearby city.
Police said they have identified more than 170 witnesses and have taken forensics evidence from dozens.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said they were also examining videos posted to social media.
He said following last night’s eruption of violence: ‘The images and reports for Amsterdam and what we’ve seen this weekend of antisemitic attacks against Israelis and Jews are nothing short of shocking and reprehensible.
The firework was set off in an Amsterdam tram last night
The firework lead to a fire erupting inside the vehicle
A window was left shattered by the force of the fire work
The fire was reportedly put out quickly after it was set
Schoof also condemned Maccabi supporters who had attacked a taxi and burned s Palestinian flag in Amsterdam, on top of chanting anti-Arab slogans.
‘We are well aware of what happened earlier with Maccabi supporters but we think that’s of a different category and we condemn any violence as well, but that is no excuse whatsoever for what happened later on that night in the attacks on Jews in Amsterdam.’
Reports of antisemitic speech, vandalism and violence have been on the rise in Europe since the start of the war in Gaza, and tensions mounted in Amsterdam ahead of Thursday night’s match.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators were banned by local authorities from gathering outside the stadium.
Before the match, Maccabi fans also tore a Palestinian flag off a building in Amsterdam and chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the stadium.
There were also reports of Maccabi fans starting fights.
The mayor has banned all demonstrations in the city and declared several parts of Amsterdam ‘risk zones’ where police can stop and check anyone.
Dozens were detained on Sunday for taking part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration in central Amsterdam that had been outlawed.
Newly appointed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rushed to the Netherlands on Friday and offered Israel’s help in the police investigation.
The tram in Amsterdam which has been damaged after people armed with sticks and firecrackers set fire to it
Police officers patrol in riot gear on the streets of Amsterdam following more violence
A man stands next to the tram, where the windows have been shattered in the riots
Police in riot gear as the mayor in Amsterdam has banned all demonstrations in the city on Monday
He met on Saturday with the Dutch prime minister and said in a statement that the attacks and demands to show passports ‘were reminiscent of dark periods in history.’
‘I was informed by the mayor of Amsterdam that they formed a special inquiry team, but I can tell that until now, the number of arrests is very low,’ Saar said.
The Dutch city’s police chief said there had been ‘incidents on both sides’ on Wednesday, 24 hours before the match.
‘A Palestinian flag was set on fire on the Dam,’ he added, referring to Amsterdam’s central square.
In scenes that showed the tensions, unverified video on social media purportedly filmed on Thursday appeared to show some Maccabi fans chanting in Hebrew: ‘Let the IDF (army) win! We’ll f*** the Arabs!’
Demonstrators run with Palestinian flags ahead of the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Anton de Komplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 07 November 2024.
Hours before the match, fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv staged a pro-Israel demonstration at the Dam Square in the city
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv stage a pro-Israel demonstration at the Dam Square
The scenes in Amsterdam were enough to spark fear in other European nations.
Paris police said on Sunday that 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed for a France-Israel soccer match to ensure security in and around the stadium and on public transportation.
France and Israel are playing in a UEFA Nations League match on Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron will attend, the Elysee presidential palace said.
Israel’s National Security Council, in a statement Sunday, warned citizens abroad to avoid sports and cultural events, specifically the match in Paris, and be careful of violent attacks ‘under the pretense of demonstrations.’