Dutch police arrest six protesters in Amsterdam as tensions persist
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This comes after violent clashes erupted between Dutch police and pro-Palestine supporters in Amsterdam late Monday night into Tuesday.
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Police detain a person next to the place where Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters gather ahead of the Europa League soccer match between their team and Ajax, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP)
Dutch police arrested six people protesting in front of Amsterdam's city hall after an anti-protest ban was imposed following clashes between pro-Palestine supporters and Israeli fans in the European capital last week.
This comes after violent clashes erupted between Dutch police and pro-Palestine supporters in Amsterdam late Monday night into Tuesday, with a tram set on fire during the unrest.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the Dutch government is being held responsible for the escalation, having banned a pro-Palestine demonstration and arrested several supporters while allowing Israeli demonstrators to stage protests, carry out provocations, and remove Palestinian flags.
Dutch magistrates denied an urgent request, on Sunday, for a pro-Palestine rally in Amsterdam, citing a ban imposed by the mayor following Thursday clashes after a football match between Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax Amsterdam. The clashes resulted in the arrest of around 62 people and the injury of 10 to 20 Israelis.
The events began when Maccabi fans, several thousand strong and including IOF soldiers, provoked pro-Palestine residents and Arabs in Amsterdam.
Our correspondent explained at the time that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans "chanted offensive slogans, claiming the Israeli army would deal with the Arabs," mocking the children of Gaza. They also removed dozens of Palestinian flags that Dutch citizens had displayed on their windows and balconies for months as a symbol of support for Palestine.
Call for investigation
The Dutch government, however, sought to shield "Israel" from criticism as Dutch newspapers presented a politically sympathetic view toward "Israel". While their reports described the events, they failed to mention that Israelis had sparked the unrest by vandalizing cars, tearing down Palestinian flags, and verbally attacking Arab communities. Instead, the headlines emphasized that Israelis had been subjected to "anti-Semitic" attacks.
Our envoy to Amsterdam reported that King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands said to Israeli President Isaac Herzog in a phone call on Friday morning, "We failed the Jewish community of the Netherlands during World War II, and last night we failed again."
Commenting on this issue, our correspondent stated that European governments and the media are unwilling to acknowledge the true nature of the events. Instead, they convey a message to Arabs and supporters of the Palestinian cause, "You were insulted, you were attacked, you witnessed Palestinian flags being torn, and yet you are expected to remain silent."
As a result, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Palestinians, accused Western media of "obscuring" events and disseminating disinformation, which she says has downplayed or ignored provocations by the Israelis.
In a post on social media platform X, Albanese criticized Western media's framing of the confrontations, stating that certain outlets inaccurately portrayed the events as anti-Semitic attacks on Israeli fans.
"Once again, Western media should be investigated for the role they are playing in obscuring Israel's atrocities," Albanese said, arguing that such misreporting serves to "conceal" ongoing human rights abuses by Israelis around the world.
Europe, as well as the rest of the West, must interrogate the pervasive antiArabism and Islamophobia across their societies. Antisemitism is rooted in the same distorted view of humanity, and so is Anti-Palestinian Racism. https://t.co/O4m6J5wSYs
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) November 10, 2024
