Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball game in Italy ends without incident after Israelis urged to stay away

A basketball match in Italy involving Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv has ended without incident after Israeli authorities called on fans to stay home following anti-Israel violence in Amsterdam the previous night against Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans.

“Calls continue on social media to harm Israelis and Jews, and there are concerns that the events of the last 24 hours may lead to a wave of copycat actions and further disturbances and attacks against Israelis abroad,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.

“In light of this, the National Security Council is advising Israelis to avoid attending Maccabi Tel Aviv’s game in Bologna and to avoid displaying visible Israeli or Jewish symbols as much as possible.”

In the end, there were no incidents at the EuroLeague match which Virtus Bologna won 84-77.

Ahead of the game, Bologna’s police chief further reinforced security, which was already high, and assigned a special escort to the Israeli team, Italian media reports.

“Growing antisemitism is unacceptable and horrible, and it is our duty to guarantee complete security to all our citizens of the Jewish religion,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says in a statement.