Dutch investigate alleged police violence after banned protest

Dutch authorities on Thursday said they were investigating reports of police violence against pro-Palestinian protesters after a banned rally on Wednesday evening had been broken up.

The Amsterdam police said on X that they were aware of online footage, which seemed to show police officers beating protesters who had already been released after being taken away from the site of the protest.

A total of 281 protesters were detained as they rallied in central Amsterdam on Wednesday in defiance of a ban imposed after violence stemming from a football match between Ajax and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv last week.

Detained protesters were put on buses and were driven to a location on the outskirts of town, where they were released.

A video circulating online, including on X, and seen by Reuters, showed people being hit with batons by police in riot gear, seemingly while they were walking away after they had been released in the port area west of Amsterdam.

The images could not be verified by Reuters.

"Images of police acting with force are always disturbing to see and will be weighed and judged. Also in this case," Amsterdam police said in a post on X.

Police with expanded stop-and-search powers in the Dutch capital have detained or removed hundreds of demonstrators since last week's clashes, under emergency measures imposed until Thursday.

Authorities in France have also stepped up security ahead of a France-Israel soccer match on Thursday following last week's violence in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam's police department has said Maccabi fans last week attacked a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag and were chased down and beaten by anti-Israeli gangs on scooters after an online appeal to taxi drivers. Five people were treated for injuries and released from hospitals. Police escorted hundreds of Maccabi fans to their hotels.

Israeli and Dutch politicians have denounced the attacks as antisemitic and recalled persecution of Jews during World War Two. Pro-Palestinians countered that they responded to an attack by the Maccabi supporters and provocative anti-Arab chants.

Four out of 62 suspects detained during the violence, which included 10 Israelis, remain in custody. Police are still looking for suspects.