Police patrol in riot gear on the streets of Amsterdam, the Netherlands on Monday as the city faces tensions following last week's violence related to the situation in Gaza. AP
France's President Emmanuel Macron has said he will attend Thursday's France-Israel soccer match at the Stade de France in Paris, in a show of "fraternity and solidarity" following attacks on Jewish fans after a game in Amsterdam last week.
The president's office said on Sunday his presence at the event, which is being played under heightened security, would "show his entire and full support for the French team as he does every match" but also "send a message of fraternity and solidarity after the intolerable acts of anti-Semitism that followed the match in Amsterdam".
The announcement followed violent "anti-Semitic" clashes in Amsterdam between fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and Netherlands team Ajax on Thursday.
The violence erupted when Maccabi Tel Aviv fans allegedly burned Palestinian flags and chanted anti-Arab slogans, which was followed by retaliatory "anti-Semitic hit-and-run squads" attacking Israeli supporters, resulting in more than 20 injuries and many arrests.
Following the violence in Amsterdam, police in Belgium reported they had thwarted plans for a "Jew hunt" in Antwerp after six suspects used social media platforms to organize copycat anti-Jewish attacks, reported The Times newspaper.
Fresh violence erupted in Amsterdam on Monday, as protesters set fire to an empty tram and a police vehicle, with some rioters chanting "Free Palestine", reported local media.
Leaders in Israel, the Netherlands and other European nations condemned the violence.
Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof denounced the "anti-Semitic attacks against Israelis and Jews", calling them "nothing short of shocking and reprehensible".
Amsterdam and its neighboring suburb Amstelveen remain under a state of emergency, with authorities prohibiting pro-Palestine demonstrations during the weekend due to heightened tensions, reported The Guardian newspaper.
Protest organizers have rejected what they called the "framing" of match-related violence as "anti-Semitic", claiming this narrative was being "weaponized to suppress Palestinian resistance".
Israel's National Security Council has urged Israel fans to skip Thursday's soccer game in Paris and its citizens to avoid other cultural and sporting events in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, and other countries, reported AFP.
Extra security measures are being implemented for the France-Israel match amid heightened tensions stemming from the Gaza conflict.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez has classified the game as "high risk", announcing that 4,000 police will be stationed throughout the French capital, including around the stadium and on public transport.
The right-wing Jewish movement Betar has announced plans to hold a protest against anti-Semitism in Paris before the match.
"We are outraged at what has happened in Amsterdam," stated the chief of World Betar, Yigal Brand, on Sunday.
He called on the movement's members and supporters to "gather Wednesday in Paris and Thursday at the soccer game, which is also being threatened".
