Dutch police crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstration, detain protesters

Dutch police detained numerous pro-Palestine protesters in Amsterdam following unrest in the city incited by Israeli hooligans.

The protesters gathered on Sunday to challenge the media's portrayal of recent incidents as "anti-Semitism" and to oppose the blame placed on pro-Palestine 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 councillor.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Veldhuyzen said the group of Palestine 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 Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.

Inciting violence

The incidents, which took place before and after Maccabi's match against Ajax, have sparked widespread outrage, with reports of Israeli fans clashing with bystanders, vandalising property, and setting a Palestinian flag alight.

Videos shared widely on social media depict Maccabi fans not only vandalising private property but also attacking a local taxi driver and even confronting law enforcement officials.

Western media has pinned the blame on pro-Palestine supporters, despite footages of Israeli hooligans chanting anti-Arab slurs and causing violence.