Dozens detained in Amsterdam as pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters again defy ban on demonstrations

Dutch police detain dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters in Amsterdam, after several hundred again defied a demonstration ban put in place after violence against Israeli soccer fans last week.

Dozens of demonstrators chant anti-Israel slogans including “Amsterdam is saying no to genocide.” Israel has emphatically denied all accusations of genocide.

Large numbers of police, including some on horseback, detained most of the protesters after they refused to leave, escorting them mostly peacefully into buses and driving them away from the square.

The latest protests followed a similar demonstration on Sunday.

The demonstrations come as the Netherlands is still dealing with the fallout from last week’s violence in Amsterdam when fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were assaulted by men on scooters in several parts of the Dutch capital.

Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the Thursday night violence carried out by local Arab and Muslim gangs against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans. Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found, as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof termed the attacks an incident of “unadulterated antisemitism.” Police said the attackers were mobilized by calls on social media to target Jewish people.