Dutch Police Hold Suspect After Kosher Restaurant's Window Smashed, Israeli Flag Stuffed In
Incident is sixth act of vandalism at Amsterdam restaurant in recent years
Police used pepper spray to subdue a suspect arrested Friday after a window was smashed at a kosher restaurant in the Dutch capital, the sixth act of vandalism at the restaurant in recent years.
An attacker used a stone to smash a hole in one of the large windows of the HaCarmel restaurant before pushing a flagpole with the Israeli flag through the hole.
Amsterdam police tweeted that they had arrested a suspect.
The attack came on the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied forces in Europe, although there was no immediate indication of a link.
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The vandalism also came after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the coronavirus pandemic is unleashing “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.”
The UN chief said that “anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and in the streets, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and COVID-19-related anti-Muslim attacks have occurred.”