Saturday, November 9

Five people were injured and over 60 people were arrested following violent attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam, and the Dutch government has labeled the attacks as antisemitic.

Following an intense soccer match between the Dutch club of Ajax and the Israeli team of Maccabi Tel Aviv, fights broke out on the normally-calm streets of Amsterdam on Friday, the capital of the Netherlands. Supporters and players of Maccabi Tel Aviv were chased by rioters on scooters, who were pursued by the makeshift gangs and beaten up on the streets. The brief, violent attacks were described as "hit-and-runs" by officials. Reports from victims of the attacks also stated that some men were on motorcycles, and others were chasing them with knives instead of their fists.

Five Israelis were injured in the attacks, but they have been released from the hospital. A further 20 to 30 Israeli soccer fans were minimally injured, and a total of 62 people have been arrested in connection to the attacks. Hundreds of police officers were deployed across the city to search for gang members, scattering the group and forcing them to spread out across the city. Most, if not all, of the criminals were caught later on by the police.

The quarrels began at the soccer match itself, as security guards were forced to keep pro-Palestinian supporters and Israeli supporters apart to prevent violence. Nevertheless, the attacks began taking place after the match, after the security was gone. The violence seemed to be centered on Gaza, as the attackers were seen yelling slogans or taglines in support of Palestine. Meanwhile, Israelis were seen condemning Palestine using obscenities and profanity in other videos and news articles, as well as physical violence-- the footage showed people attacking a taxi and tearing down Palestinian flags in support of Israel.

Amsterdam has temporarily banned all demonstrations for at least three days until the tension settles down, which was exacerbated by the fact that the antisemitic attacks took place in the same town known for famous Holocaust victim Anne Frank. The attacks also happen to coincide with the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, during which Nazis killed dozens of Jews and destroyed hundreds of stores in a night of intense violence in 1938. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared this year's attacks to those on Kristallnacht in a government statement, saying that there "is only one difference-- in the meantime, the Jewish state has been established."

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof stated that he was "horrified by the antisemitic attacks on Israeli citizens," calling the incident "completely unacceptable." Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the attacks "horrific & deeply shameful for us in Europe" on X. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his shock at Friday's violence, and he also condemned the antisemitic nature of the attacks. U.S. Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt also condemned the attacks and called for an investigation-- what happened, how did it happen, how can we prevent it from happening again, etc.

El Al, an Israeli airline, quickly sent airplanes to bring Israeli citizens back to their country, preventing any further violence against them in Amsterdam. Israel instructed its citizens to return to the country as soon as possible and to avoid displaying any signs that may hint at or reveal the fact that they are Jewish.

This comes as Israel continues its war on Gaza into its second year, sparking protests and demonstrations around the world to help Palestinians and end the war. In the process of eliminating Hamas, Israel has killed over 43,000 Palestinians across Gaza, and new data shows that around 70% of those are women and children. Israelis all over the world have suffered from various antisemitic attacks in this process, and all of it will most likely continue until Israel and Hamas come to an agreement to end the war.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Maryland is the wealthiest state in the United States, as measured by median household income.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. (Oprah Winfrey)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Inchoate (adj)- Inchoate is a formal adjective and synonym of vague that describes something that is not completely formed or developed yet.

In a Sentence: In the podcast, the author described the process by which she took a series of inchoate vignettes and shaped them into her best-selling novel.