Dutch probe alleged police violence after banned anti-genocide protest

Dutch authorities today said they were investigating reports of police violence against pro-Palestinian protesters after a banned rally yesterday evening had been broken up, Reuters reports.

The Amsterdam police said on X that they were aware of online footage, which seemed to show police officers beating protesters who had already been released after being taken away from the site of the protest.

A total of 281 protesters were detained as they rallied in central Amsterdam in defiance of a ban imposed after violence stemming from a football match between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv last week.

Detained protesters were put on buses and were driven to a location on the outskirts of town, where they were released.

A video circulating online, including on X, showed people being hit with batons by police in riot gear, seemingly while they were walking away after they had been released in the port area west of Amsterdam.

The world needs to see this. Yesterday around 11 pm pro-Palestinian protestors in Amsterdam got relocated by police to an industrial area. There they got hunted down, beaten up and hunted down again. One protestor is beat up while she’s laying on the ground. Please share! pic.twitter.com/qS8sDYVBCZ

— Jazie Veldhuyzen (@JazieAnthony) November 14, 2024

The images could not be verified by Reuters.

“Images of police acting with force are always disturbing to see and will be weighed and judged. Also in this case,” Amsterdam police said in a post on X.

Police with expanded stop-and-search powers in the Dutch capital have detained or removed hundreds of demonstrators since last week’s clashes, under emergency measures imposed until today.

Authorities in France have also stepped up security ahead of a France-Israel football match today following last week’s violence in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam’s police department has said Maccabi fans last week attacked a taxi, burned a Palestinian flag and repeated racist anti-Arab chants. They were later chased down and beaten by locals after an online appeal to taxi drivers. Five people were treated for injuries and released from hospitals. Police escorted hundreds of Maccabi fans to their hotels.

Four out of 62 suspects detained during the violence, which included ten Israelis, remain in custody. Police are still looking for suspects.

MEMO Monitoring: Does this video disprove the media narrative on Amsterdam violence?