Alleged police violence against pro-Palestinians in Amsterdam investigated
Protest took place after incidents with Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the Netherlands
Dutch authorities revealed this Thursday that an investigation was opened into alleged police violence against pro-Palestinians in Amsterdam, following a demonstration held in the capital of the Netherlands and which ended with 281 arrests.
Videos circulating on social media show members of the riot police shouting at protesters and other security officers beating protesters with batons, according to AFP, which added that the detained participants were later released on the outskirts of the city.
The demonstration, which brought together hundreds of people, was allowed on the condition that it took place on the Westergasterrein artery, given the ban on gatherings in the city center, a measure decreed following the incidents involving Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv last week, after a clash with Ajax.
“Videos are circulating on social media showing members of the mobile unit (riot police) acting against protesters who have just been removed from a bus,” the Dutch police said in a statement, adding: “These protesters were transported to the location after having been detained in Dam Square for violating the emergency order.’
“An investigation is underway to determine the exact reason for the mobile unit’s actions in this specific video fragment,” the same note indicates.
The incidents follow attacks on Israeli fans of Maccabi TelAviv in the early hours of November 8, attacks that occurred after alleged chants against Arabs by supporters of the Israeli emblem, as well as the burning of a Palestinian flag, according to Al Jazeera and The Guardian .
