The Public Prosecution Service has dismissed at least two reports against Maccabi fans. Video footage that could have served as evidence had already been deleted by transport company GVB, the Public Prosecution Service confirms to NU.nl after reports from the NOS.
It concerns footage from the metro that captured two different incidents during the riots in November 2024. Two women separately reported experiencing violence and threats from Israeli football supporters.
The GVB deleted the footage earlier than normal because the recording equipment was being replaced. These activities had been planned for some time. Normally, the GVB keeps video footage for a week, in some cases slightly shorter.
A Public Prosecution Service spokesperson says that the police were not too slow in requesting the footage. The footage was deleted on November 12, five days after the riots. The reports were made on November 14. As a result, the police could not request the material.
The Public Prosecution Service has informed the victims that the reports have been dismissed because possible footage of the incidents had already been erased. Dismissal means that a case is not prosecuted further because, for example, there is too little evidence.
Hit and Spat On
One of the women shouted “Free Palestine” at Maccabi supporters on the platform of the Central Station metro stop. They allegedly attacked her. The woman says she was hit, spat on, and had her hair pulled.
Another woman reported being threatened. She was sitting veiled in the metro with another woman a few days before the match. The Maccabi supporters allegedly shouted “We will kill all of you“.
The Public Prosecution Service spokesperson says that the threat could not be proven with the help of the images. Sound is not recorded by the GVB’s cameras.
On Monday, two investigations into the actions of the police, the Public Prosecution Service and the municipality during the riots will be published. That research was done by the COT, the Institute for Security and Crisis Management.