Protesters take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Dam Square in Amsterdam on Nov. 10. The protest is taking place while an emergency ordinance and demonstration ban are in place in the city. Photo by Robin van Lonkhuijsen / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT via Getty Images

By Louis Keene November 11, 2024

Anti-Israel protesters started a fire inside a tram car in Amsterdam on Monday and riot police were called to disperse them, days after traveling Israeli soccer fans were attacked in the Dutch capital in what some described as an antisemitic pogrom.

Video circulating on social media showed rioters throwing sticks and debris and hurling stones at a stopped tram car. The protesters appear to be yelling “Free Palestine” and “Kanker Joden (cancer Jews),” a slur, according to videos from the scene. At one point, there’s smoke in the tram and then a firework appears to explode inside the car, starting a fire.

Dutch police said it was unclear what prompted the violence or who started it. Dutch media said there were no injuries reported in the fire.

Last week, Amsterdam authorities declared a state of emergency — during which all protests are banned — after locals attacked Israelis who were in the city for a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax, a major Dutch club. At least 10 Israelis reported injuries and five were hospitalized from the targeted beatings, many of which were recorded and posted to social media by the assailants. The Dutch police arrested at least 60 people last week, and five more were arrested Monday in connection with the attacks; eight are currently still being held.

More than 50 people were detained on Sunday for attempting to participate in a banned demonstration, where protesters shouted “Free Palestine.”

Tensions had been high in the city before the attacks. Pro-Palestinian groups scheduled a series of protests pegged to the match and spray-painted anti-Israel slogans around the city; leading up to the game, Maccabi fans tore down Palestinian flags around the city and shouted anti-Arab chants.

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