Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested by police in Amsterdam after defying a ban on public demonstrations in the Dutch capital.
Hundreds of people gathered in Dam Square on Sunday, calling for an end to the conflict in Gaza and expressing their disagreement with the ban.
The mayor temporarily banned protests after Israeli soccer fans were targeted in what she called “hit and run” attacks on Thursday night following a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam.
The Israeli government has advised its citizens to “absolutely avoid” Israeli sporting and cultural events while abroad – especially the football match between France and Israel in Paris on Thursday.
Authorities said Thursday’s attacks – which sent five people to hospital – were motivated by anti-Semitism as fans were hunted across the city.
The violence – which led to at least 62 arrests – condemned by European, American and Israeli leaders.
The outcry was exacerbated by the attacks, which occurred on the eve of the commemoration of Kristallnacht – the Nazi massacre against German Jews that took place in 1938.
Three-quarters of the Jews in the Netherlands were murdered in the Holocaust during World War II.
Amsterdam police said there was also trouble the night before the match. Police Chief Peter Holla said there had been incidents “from both sides”, including pro-Israeli supporters removing a Palestinian flag from the wall and burning it, as well as attacking a taxi.
City Mayor Femke Halsema announced a ban on public gatherings on Friday lasting at least until the weekend, labeling the city a “high-risk security zone”.
But Sunday’s protesters argued that they should be free to speak out against Israel’s actions in Gaza and those of Maccabi’s supporters.
“This protest has nothing to do with anti-Semitism,” Alexander van Stokkum, one of the protesters, told AFP news agency on Sunday. “It’s against the Israeli thugs who are destroying our city.”
Others told a Reuters journalist: “We refuse to let the charge of anti-Semitism be weaponized to suppress Palestinian resistance.”
The news agency reported that more than 100 people were detained for participating in the protest. Amsterdam police confirmed there had been arrests but did not say how many people there were.
Following the ban on protests, Dutch activist Frank van der Linde applied for an emergency permit so that Sunday’s protest could take place.
On X, he said he wanted to protest what he described as “genocide in Gaza”, adding: “We will not let our right to protest be taken away.”
Mr. Van der Linde was dismissed by the Amsterdam district court. The court wrote on Sunday that “the mayor correctly determined that there was a ban on protests in the city this weekend”.
Dutch national newspaper De Telegraaf reported that Mr. Van der Linde was among those arrested.
The Israeli Embassy in the Netherlands had previously warned Israelis in Amsterdam to avoid Dam Square, saying the event “could erupt into serious violence”.
Israel’s National Security Council has asked its citizens to avoid public protests “of any kind” and to hide “anything that could identify you as Israeli/Jewish”, citing Thursday’s attacks.
“Preparations to harm Israelis have been identified in several European cities, including Brussels (Belgium), major cities in the UK, Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Paris,” it stated.
Paris police chiefs have pledged that 4,000 police officers will be deployed at the stadium and across the French capital in preparation for the Nations League match on November 14.
