SKY News has seemingly deleted a tweet about football fans from Israel chanting racist slurs before being attacked in Amsterdam following the world’s media coverage being heavily criticised.
The fans clashed with apparent pro-Palestinian protesters after a Europa League football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam on Thursday evening.
It’s been reported that before the game, hundreds of supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv held a “vocal rally” in the main square of Amsterdam and were seen tearing down Palestinian flags.
An Amsterdam councillor, Jazie Veldhuyzen, said: “They [Israeli fans] began attacking houses of people in Amsterdam with Palestinian flags, so that’s actually where the violence started.”
Videos posted on social media showed Israeli fans shouting racist anti-Arab slurs and chants about the war in Palestine with lines reportedly including “no schools in Gaza because there are no children left” and “Let the IDF win to f**k the Arabs”.
The BBC’s reporting of the violence has made mention of “anti-Arab chants” but not the specific content.
It has been alleged that Israeli football fans also attacked taxis and houses before Amsterdam citizens mobilised and countered the hostility.
Videos online also showed Israeli supporters chanting and jeering during a minute’s silence for the victims of the Valencia flooding in the Johan Cruyff Arena which escalated tensions.
Sky News shared a tweet to an article about the violence which highlighted the Maccabi Tel Aviv’s fan's behaviour in the lead-up to the attacks but has since deleted it.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv fans tore down Palestinian flags and chanted racist anti-Arab slogans,” the deleted tweet said.
Coverage of the violence by the world’s media has been heavily criticised due to the majority of it failing to cover the Israeli supporter’s behaviour in the buildup to the clashes.
Commentator Owen Jones said Western media has portrayed the Israeli fans as “victims” despite emerging videos of them acting hostile to residents in Amsterdam.
He said: “There are the Israeli football thugs who rampaged in Amsterdam.
“They are back in Tel Aviv, relishing in Israel’s extermination of Palestinian children.
“Western politicians and media outlets are telling you that these are all victims.
“The world is turned upside down.”
He added: “In the world we live in, if you condemn racist fanatics literally relishing in the mass slaughter of children, then you will be branded a hateful bigot.
“Gaslighting isn’t a strong enough word to describe what this is.”
Some news outlets were condemned for interviewing Israeli football fans involved in the violence, framing the attacks as one-sided, and failing to report their behaviour in the build-up.
Dutch police confirmed that 57 people were arrested in the aftermath.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would send “rescue planes” for the Israeli fans following Thursday night's disorder.
Amsterdam’s local authority has banned demonstrations for three days from Friday following the violence.
