Days after Amsterdam was gripped by what officials described as "a toxic cocktail" of hooliganism, antisemitism and fury at the war in Palestine and Israel, imams and rabbis from European organisations had travelled to the city to try to calm tensions.
"The roses are for every Amsterdammer, Muslim, Jew or of other faiths and origins, and also for the rioters in Amsterdam-West," Eliezer Wolff, a rabbi from Amsterdam, said.
"The violent battle must be fought with love." It was a small act aimed at starting to heal the wounds left by events earlier this month. The city's Jewish and Muslim communities have spoken of their fear, as questions lingered about the events arising around the football match between local team Ajax and Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Locals and visitors appeared to have been involved in the unrest. The first reports of disturbances emerged the day before the match, which took place on 7 November, with police saying Maccabi fans had torn down a Palestinian flag and burned it, shouted "fuck you, Palestine", attacked a taxi with their belts, and vandalised others.
This story is from the November 22, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the November 22, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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