A soccer team in Germany was reportedly threatened with knives and sticks a few days after Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam were attacked.
The two incidents, not even a week apart, have both been described as antisemitic attacks.
According to reports in the local German news outlet Tagesspiegel, there were alleged attacks on the Jewish under-17 soccer players of the Makkabi Berlin football team.
It was reported that the incident occurred at the grounds of the soccer team DJK Schwarz-Weiß Neukölln following a match between the two teams.
A sign reading “Clubhaus Makkabi Berlin” can be seen at the Julius Hirsch sports facility. State security is investigating suspected anti-Semitic abuse and threats against Jewish youth footballers in Berlin. A sign reading “Clubhaus Makkabi Berlin” can be seen at the Julius Hirsch sports facility. State security is investigating suspected anti-Semitic abuse and threats against Jewish youth footballers in Berlin. Markus Lenhardt/dpa via AP
Alongside reports of threats with knives, it was also alleged that an unknown group insulted the Makkabi players, reportedly making antisemitic statements.
The incident is now reportedly being investigated by state security, and it was reported on Sunday that the police were looking into concerns of a breach of the peace, incitement to hatred and insult ex officio.
Tagesspiegel also wrote that the German Press Agency reported the Berlin Makkabi club was protected by the police at the weekend during its games.
Newsweek has contacted the Berlin police and the Makkabi Berlin football team via email for comment on the alleged attacks.
Alon Meyer, the president of Makkabi Germany, reportedly told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper that witnesses confirmed “threats, including chasing people with knives, undoubtedly took place,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
After the incident, one social media user, Shlomo Afanasev, who appears to be the father of one of the Berlin players, wrote that his 13-year-old son had been caught up in the incident while playing for the Makkabi team.
“Unfortunately, the atmosphere during the game became increasingly aggressive and hostile. Our children were insulted and even spat on several times – and this without the referee intervening or even paying any attention,” he wrote.
Mein 13-jähriger Sohn hatte gestern mit seinen Freunden von @makkabifussball Berlin ein Fußballspiel in Neukölln. Leider wurde die Atmosphäre während des Spiels zunehmend aggressiv und feindselig. Unsere Kinder wurden mehrfach beleidigt und sogar bespuckt – und das, ohne dass… pic.twitter.com/2j50fXeXkP
— Shlomo Afanasev (@ShlomoAfanasev) November 8, 2024
He added, “After the game, the situation escalated further: children and adults were followed and loudly insulted. My son came home deeply shaken and only found out from his friends via WhatsApp that the situation had become even more threatening later.”
The father wrote that the Berlin police were “apparently on site after all. However, I have not read anything about this incident in the media so far.”
On Thursday night, Israeli soccer fans were targeted at a Europa League game in the Netherlands between the Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam.
Israeli authorities initially responded to the incident on X, formerly Twitter, to say, “the IDF immediately prepared to send out a rescue mission in coordination with the Dutch government,” but the rescue plans were later canceled.
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