AMSTERDAM
\nDozens of pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Sunday after they defied a ban on demonstrations put in place in Amsterdam in the wake of recent violence involving supporters of an Israeli football club.
\nHolding placards that said \u201cWe want our streets back\u201d and chanting \u201cFree Palestine\u201d, hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered in the city\u2019s Dam central square, where Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters had burned a Palestinian flag, and vandalised a taxi last week.
\nFollowing violence sparked by Maccabi supporters\u2019 provocative actions, such as the burning of a Palestinian flag, some were briefly hospitalised.
\nAs a result, Mayor Femke Halsema had banned protests in the city on Friday. Emergency measures, which also included heightened police protection and wearing of face masks, would be in place until Monday morning.
\nHowever, despite a heavy police presence, the peaceful protesters rallied against the ban on protests, an AFP correspondent saw. They chanted slogans and carried placards including one that read: \u201cWe can fight anti-Semitism and genocidal Zionism at the same time.\u201d
\nPolice in riot gear moved in on the protesters, shortly after the district court upheld the mayor\u2019s decision to ban demonstrations, some three days after skirmishes between Tel Aviv football fans and pro-Palestinian activists.
\n\u201cThe mayor has rightly decided that there will be a ban on demonstrating in the city this weekend,\u201d the court announced on X. It therefore \u201crejected the request\u201d by protests to hold their demonstration.
\nDutch activist Frank van der Linde had applied for an urgent permit to demonstrate on the city\u2019s famous Dam Square, despite a temporary ban on protests. Frank van der Linde wanted to protest against the \u201cgenocide in Gaza, but also because our right to protest has been taken away,\u201d Dutch national news agency ANP quoted him as saying.
\nThe Europa League game on Thursday finished largely in a peaceful atmosphere, praised by the Ajax club.
\nBut sporadic incidents beforehand were linked to Maccabi supporters, who were allegedly chanting anti-Palestinian and racist slogans, even disrespecting a moment of silence for victims of floods in Spain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AMSTERDAM Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on Sunday after they defied a ban on demonstrations put in place in Amsterdam in the wake of recent violence involving supporters of an Israeli football club. Holding placards that said \u201cWe want our streets back\u201d and chanting \u201cFree Palestine\u201d, hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered in the city\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":443058,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-443019","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n