Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom, claimed on Saturday night that, contrary to the claims of the Dutch authorities, no arrests had been made of people who took part in the pogrom against Israelis in Amsterdam on Thursday night.
“I am speechless. Amsterdam Police just confirmed that NO ONE has been arrested during the Islamic Jewhunt in Amsterdam Thursday night. All arrests have been made before and during the soccer match and NOT during the pogrom,” Wilders wrote in a post on X.
The official police statement claimed that dozens of people were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attacks, of which only four remained in custody as of Saturday night.
In addition, the Dutch police issued a call to those who were attacked or came across Thursday night's footage to assist them in the investigation.
Earlier, the National Security Council said that security bodies estimate that the wave of violence that began after the Maccabi Tel Aviv game in Amsterdam this past Thursday has ended.
"There is no restriction for Israelis to move around the city," the National Security Council said, though it stressed that a Level 2 travel warning applies to the Netherlands, and therefore "it is recommended to take increased precautionary measures while staying in the country, with emphasis on concealing Israeli symbols, and maintaining alertness to unusual events in light of the sensitivity present in Amsterdam following the incidents."
The update also said, "In any unusual event, one should turn to local security authorities for initial response. It is recommended to simultaneously update the Travel Warnings Hotline at the National Security Council (02-6667444)."
Wilders, a staunch supporter of Israel, posted twice to X on Friday condemning the violence in Amsterdam.
“Looks like a Jew hunt in the streets of Amsterdam. Arrest and deport the multicultural scum that attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in our streets. Ashamed that this can happen in The Netherlands. Totally unacceptable,” he wrote in the first post.
He later posted again about the incident and wrote, “A pogrom in the streets of Amsterdam. We have become the Gaza of Europe. Muslims with Palestinian flags hunting down Jews. I will NOT accept that. NEVER.”
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Friday condemned the violence against Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam a night earlier as a "terrible antisemitic attack".
"It's a terrible antisemitic attack. We will not tolerate (it). We will prosecute the perpetrators. And I'm deeply ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands in 2024," Schoof told reporters on the sidelines of an EU leaders' meeting in Budapest.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema also condemned the attack and described the violence as “an eruption of antisemitism that we had hoped never again to see in Amsterdam.”
The mayor added that her heart goes out to the victims and their families in Amsterdam and Israel.