Fear of violence against Jews in Antwerp after Amsterdam riots: 5 people arrested

Police in Antwerp have arrested five people in the city’s Jewish quarter for allegedly planning to attack Jews. A spokesperson for the Antwerp police confirmed this News VRT.

According to the spokesperson, several young people in the community had agreed to “take similar action” to Amsterdam. There, rioters attacked supporters of Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv last week.

Last week, Antwerp police blocked messages on social media in which young people called for violence against the Jews of Antwerp. As a result, police surveillance in the neighborhood was increased.

Most of the Jews live in Antwerp in the diamond district. This is one of the neighborhoods with the largest number of Orthodox Jews in the world. The calls for violence mainly concerned the area around Harmonie Park.

As a result of the increased risk, the police had the authority to arrest people who were walking around in the area with balaclavas or flags, among other things. Even if they did not want to leave the area when asked by the police, they could be arrested.

Police are not saying exactly why the five were arrested. According to the police, among those arrested are “several young people”. They were released after the threat to the neighborhood passed, police said.

“We are very quick on the ball,” the police spokesperson told VRT News. “Last week we were able to intercept messages related to the Jewish quarter in Antwerp. We are still very vigilant, but we were already that way.”

In Amsterdam, due to the violence in the city, an emergency order applies until Thursday evening at 12 noon. This means that the police can carry out additional inquiries. Demonstrations are also not allowed in the city.