Dutch police arrest 22 at protest of Amsterdam Hanukkah concert featuring IDF cantor

Dutch police said they arrested 22 people after clashes with protesters on Sunday outside an Amsterdam concert hall hosting a performance by the IDF chief cantor Shai Abramson.

Several hundred people gathered near the famous Concertgebouw hall in the evening to protest a performance by Abramson.

“The police intervened several times to keep the demonstrators at a distance and maintain public order,” the police said in a statement.

Footage circulating online showed the crowd chanting, and several demonstrators breaking through a barricade and clashing with police. Riot police used batons as demonstrators set off smoke bombs, authorities said, adding one officer sustained minor injuries.

Paar demonstranten gooiden een hek om. Paar agenten van de arrestatie-eenheid hebben ze met hulp van de ME uit de groep gehaald. Dat ging er hardhandig aan toe pic.twitter.com/dxtxPg1jsQ

— Jesper Roele (@JesperRoele) December 14, 2025

Police also arrested 22 people for offenses that included breaking public assembly rules, possessing fireworks and resisting arrest.

In early November, the hall, also known as Concertgebouw, said it would cancel the December 14 concert due to Abramson’s appearance on the program.

However, after the announcement caused an international uproar, it later reached a compromise with the event’s organizers. While the main concert on Sunday afternoon was held without Abramson’s presence, he did perform at two private concerts later in the evening.