Pro-Palestinian protesters Detained in Amsterdam For Taking Part In Banned Demonstration

Hague: Police detained dozens of people Sunday for taking part in a demonstration in central Amsterdam that h been outlawed following violence targeting fans of an Israeli soccer club, local media reported.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema banned all demonstrations over weekend in aftermath of grim scenes of youths on scooters and on foot attacking Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters on Thursday and Friday in what was widely condemned as a violent outburst of antisemitism in Dutch capital.

Late Sunday afteron, municipality, toger with Amsterdam police and public prosecutor's office, extended ban on demonstrations until Thursday morning.

Israel's ambassor to Nerlands said that 2,000 Israelis were brought home on special flights from Amsterdam over past few days.

Before match against Ajax, Maccabi fans also tore a Palestinian flag off a building in Amsterdam and chanted anti-Arab slogans on ir way to stium. re were also reports of Maccabi fans starting fights.

Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool reported that about 100 people were detained, and media said y were taken away in buses. Police confirmed y were detaining demonstrators, but didn't give numbers.

protesters yelled slogans including, “Free, free Palestine”.

Amsterdam Municipality said on X that police h begun arresting demonstrators who refused to leave square, which is in heart of city's downtown shopping area and close to historic canal network.

Organisers of protest went to court on Sunday morning seeking an injunction to allow demonstration, but a judge upheld ban imposed by municipality.

At hearing, senior Amsterdam police officer Olivier Dutilh said re were again incidents overnight targeting people thought to be Jewish, including some being ordered out of taxis and ors being asked to produce ir passports to confirm ir nationality.

Police launched a large-scale investigation Friday after gangs of youths conducted what Amsterdam's mayor called “hit and run” attacks on fans that were apparently inspired by calls on social media to target Jewish people. Five people were treated at hospitals and more than 60 suspects were arrested.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rushed to Nerlands on Friday and offered Israel's help in police investigation. He met on Saturday with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and said in a statement that attacks and demands to show passports “were reminiscent of dark periods in history”.

In France, Paris police said Sunday that 4,000 officers and 1,600 stium staff will be deployed for a France-Israel soccer match on Thursday to ensure security in and around stium and on public transportation. 

(Except for heline, this story has t been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)