UK govt says it won’t allow events to be ‘hijacked’ by antisemitism

LONDON: The Government has said it will “not allow cultural and sporting events to be hijacked” after Israel warned its citizens abroad to avoid such occasions in the wake of violence against Israeli football fans in Amsterdam.

Police in the Dutch capital launched a large-scale investigation on Friday after gangs of youths conducted what Amsterdam’s mayor called “hit and run” attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans that were apparently inspired by calls on social media to target Jewish people.

Five people were treated at hospitals and more than 60 suspects were arrested.Israel’s National Security Council on Sunday claimed pro-Palestinian groups were calling for further attacks on Israelis and Jews in multiple European cities – including in the UK – “under the pretense of demonstrations and protests”.

It urged Israelis abroad toabroad to follow “precautionary” travel measures, including “categorically avoid attending Israeli sports/cultural events abroad”, “stay away from demonstrations and protests of any kind”, and “be extra careful about concealing anything that could identify you as Israeli/Jewish”.

A statement said: “In the past few days, there have been calls among proPalestinian/terrorist-supporter groups to harm Israelis and Jews, under the pretense of demonstrations and protests, taking advantage of mass gatherings (sports and cultural events) to maximize the damage and the media coverage.

“In addition, preparations to harm Israelis have been identified in several European cities, including Brussels (Belgium), major cities in the UK, Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Paris (France – around the upcoming match of the Israeli team on November 14).”

In response, the UK Government said police and security services were working “to ensure the safety of every community in this country”. A Government spokesperson said: “There is no place for antisemitism on our streets and we will not allow cultural and sporting events to be hijacked by those who seek to promote hate. “Those who push this poison – offline and online – will face the full force of the law.

“Police and the security services continue to work to ensure the safety of every community in this country.” Paris police said on Sunday that 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff will be deployed for a football match between Israel and France on Thursday to ensure security in and around the stadium and on public transportation.