Dutch police detain pro-Palestinian protesters in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM

Dutch police detained numerous pro-Palestinian protesters in Amsterdam on Sunday.

The protesters gathered to challenge the media’s portrayal of recent incidents as “anti-Semitism” and to oppose the blame placed on pro-Palestinian supporters for events following the Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv match.

Police intervened to disperse the crowd, using batons, which resulted in injuries among some demonstrators.

Amsterdam authorities imposed a three-day ban on demonstrations starting Friday.

Among those detained was Jazie Veldhuyzen, a senior city councilor. Veldhuyzen said the group of Palestinian supporters chose to protest the ban, the government’s and police’s alleged permission for Maccabi supporters to attack local residents, and the Netherlands' “complicity” in what they termed as genocide.

'Protest has nothing to do with antisemitism'

Protesters on Sunday argued they should be free to voice their disapproval of Israel's actions in Gaza and the actions of the Maccabi supporters.

"This protest has nothing to do with antisemitism," Alexander van Stokkum, one of the demonstrators, told the AFP news agency on Sunday. "It is against Israeli hooligans who were destroying our city."

Others told a Reuters journalist: "We refuse to let the charge of antisemitism be weaponised to suppress Palestinian resistance."

The news agency reported that more than 100 people were detained for attending the protest. Police in Amsterdam confirmed there had been arrests, but have yet to say how many.

Following the protest ban, Dutch activist Frank van der Linde applied for an urgent permit so Sunday's demonstration could go ahead.

On X, he said that he wanted to protest what he described as "the genocide in Gaza", adding: "We will not let our right to demonstrate be taken away."

Israel deems arrests over Amsterdam clashes 'very low'

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told reporters in Jerusalem Monday that Israel deemed the number of arrests over clashes in Amsterdam last week "very low".

"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, adding that Israel offered its help in the investigation into violence in Amsterdam Friday following a match between an Israeli team and a Dutch one.