Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof will skip the COP29 climate summit following clashes in Amsterdam this week between Israeli football fans and pro-Palestinian protesters, Reuters reported, citing European Pravda.
“I will not travel to Azerbaijan next week for the UN climate conference COP29. Due to the significant social impact of the events that took place last Thursday night in Amsterdam, I will remain in the Netherlands,” Schoof said.
However, unlike German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Dutch Prime Minister did not inform the President of Azerbaijan about his decision.
Dutch Climate Minister Sophie Hermans will still attend the environmental talks from November 11-22, while the country’s climate envoy will replace Schoof at the summit. The prime minister added that the violence in Amsterdam would be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Monday.
At least five people were injured during the unrest involving supporters of Tel Aviv's Maccabi FC, who lost 5-0 to Ajax in the Europa League.
Justice Minister David van Weel, in a letter to parliament, stated that authorities are still gathering information, including potential warnings from Israel and whether the attacks were premeditated or motivated by antisemitism.
Van Weel pledged swift justice, with maximum efforts to identify and detain all suspects. Four individuals remain in custody following the riots, according to police reports.
Political leaders have condemned the attacks as antisemitic and called for prompt legal action.
Videos of the unrest shared on social media show special police units intervening, while some attackers shout anti-Israeli slurs. Footage also captured Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting anti-Arab slogans before the match.
Israel dispatched planes to the Netherlands to repatriate the fans.
Amsterdam authorities have banned protests over the weekend and granted police emergency powers for stop-and-search operations.
Antisemitic incidents have surged in the Netherlands during the Gaza conflict, with many Jewish organizations and schools reporting threats and hate mail.
Politics
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday issued a statement on escalating crackdown on Azerbaijani civil society and media, urging authorities in Baku to release all those unjustly detained, cease its crackdown, and fulfill the commitments, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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A charter flight operated by Enter Air departed from Yerevan to Baku on Wednesday evening, according to Armenian media citing data from Flightradar24. At Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport, Sputnik Armenia reported that this was a charter flight.
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On Wednesday, a group of famous footballers arrived in Baku. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba visited several public and cultural sites in the capital and took part in a meeting with football fans at the Crystal Hall.
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On Wednesday, the trial of activist and veteran of the First Karabakh War, Rza Safarsoy, accused of illegal possession of firearms, concluded at the Khazar District Court. The prosecutor recommended a sentence of 3 years in prison for him. The defense requested Safarsoy's acquittal, arguing that his guilt had not been proven during the trial.
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