The officers dispersed an illegal gathering on the city’s Dam Square on Wednesday

Pro-Palestinian activists have clashed with police in the Dutch city of Amsterdam as officers broke up an illegal demonstration.

Hundreds of people gathered on the iconic Dam Square on Wednesday evening, defying an emergency court ban on rallies imposed days after violence between pro-Palestinian mobs and fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The protesters held placards that said “We want our streets back,” and chanted “Free Palestine,” according to Al Jazeera.

After unsuccessfully urging the protesters to leave, officers armed with batons and riot shields dispersed the crowd.

The police said that 265 activists were put on buses and taken to the borough of Westerpark, where demonstrations are permitted.

De aanhoudingseenheid, die bestaat uit agenten in burger, probeert wel aanhoudingen te verrichten. De groep keert zich daarna tegen de politiemensen (beeld: Inter Visual Studio)https://t.co/iuPhxdzG0X pic.twitter.com/35izOY6dk8

— AT5 (@AT5) November 13, 2024

Demonstranten gaan niet vrijwillig mee, agenten brengen hen naar de bussen. Dat gaat bij sommige activisten wat moeilijkerhttps://t.co/AVwh3WpPYR pic.twitter.com/bxiUPmep1y

— AT5 (@AT5) November 13, 2024

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema asked politicians not to “add fuel to the fire,” warning that “it attracts new demonstrators and rioters, which can lead to escalations that also make the police officers unsafe.”

Read more

More than 60 people were arrested in connection to riots that followed a game between Maccabi and Dutch football club Ajax in Amsterdam on November 7.

Dutch politicians, including Prime Minister Dick Schoof, condemned the “anti-Semitic violence” coming from pro-Palestinian activists. Members of the local Palestinian community, however, accused Maccabi supporters of provoking the violence with anti-Arab chants.