European leaders condemn 'reprehensible attacks targeting Israeli citizens' in Amsterdam

At an EU summit in Budapest on Friday, European leaders condemned the violence against Israeli football supporters in Amsterdam on Thursday night.

Following the European football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, fans of the Israeli club were injured in violence involving pro-Palestinian youths. The exact circumstances are still unclear, but police said that rioters had actively sought out Israeli supporters.

European Council president Charles Michel condemned the "utterly reprehensible attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam" on X. "Such acts of violence and hatred must be unequivocally rejected in any society," he said.

'Unacceptable acts'

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also expressed her outrage at the "vile attacks targeting Israeli citizens" and condemned the "unacceptable acts". "Antisemitism has absolutely no place in Europe. And we are determined to fight all forms of hatred," she said. 

Outgoing Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo was also asked about the riots on the sidelines of the Budapest summit. "Everyone can have their opinion on what is happening in the Middle East, but you have to fight ideas with words, not with violence," he said. 

"This kind of thing is reprehensible and we have to make sure that ordinary citizens, wherever they come from, can go to a football match. I strongly condemn what happened there," De Croo said.

^{European Council president Charles Michel arriving for a European summit in Budapest on 7 November 2024 © PHOTO FERENC ISZA / AFP}