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Amsterdam warns of further calls for unrest after violence around Israeli match
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Amsterdam warns of further calls for unrest after violence around Israeli match

AMSTERDAM– A senior police officer warned on Tuesday of calls for more riots in Amsterdam, after dozens of people armed with sticks and firecrackers set fire to a tram on Monday evening and the city faces tensions following the violence last week. targeting supporters of an Israeli football club.

Olivier Dutilh of Amsterdam police told a court hearing that “we have signals that there are calls for similar unrest” in the west of the city. The neighborhood’s streets were relatively quiet after dark and the presence of security forces was discreet.

Amsterdam’s mayor, police chief and attorney general released a report Monday outlining what happened last week, including new details about the actions of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before the soccer match Maccabi Tel Aviv-Ajax.

Local authorities decided not to ban the game, but increased security. Local authorities banned pro-Palestinian demonstrators from gathering outside the stadium.

The day before the match, authorities reported incidents and saw social media posts threatening Maccabi fans. Around midnight, Israeli fans tore down a Palestinian flag from a downtown building and several of them took off their belts and attacked a taxi, the document said. Taxi drivers sought to mobilize online in response and focused on a casino where some 400 Israeli supporters were gathered. The police mobilized to avoid a major confrontation.

On the morning of the match, authorities were “particularly concerned about Maccabi fans and the reaction of taxi drivers,” the document said. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema implored the Israeli ambassador to officials in Israel to clarify “that this is a sporting event and should not be mixed up in politics.”

In the afternoon, social media posts became harsher and anti-Semitic terms were used. After Ajax’s 5-0 victory over Maccabi, part of a large group of Maccabi supporters were “running around with sticks destroying things”, the document states. There were also “rioters, moving in small groups, on foot, on scooters or in cars, quickly attacking Maccabi supporters before disappearing,” the town hall timeline indicates.

The police commander declared that these incidents had “an anti-Semitic character: there is talk of a hunt for Jews and people are questioned about their nationality”. Rumors of disappearances and hostage-taking then surfaced, but they proved to be unfounded.

Police said the fire was quickly extinguished Monday and riot officers cleared the square. Footage online showed people damaging property and setting off firecrackers. A police vehicle was then set on fire in a nearby street and police said they suspected arson.

Police said it was not clear who started the disturbance or whether it was related to what happened last week. Some rioters could be heard in videos shared on social media insulting Jewish people.

Police said they had arrested three suspects and appealed for witnesses, including the attack on a cyclist who was beaten while riding through the unrest.

Police noted the tense atmosphere in the city after five people were treated in hospital and dozens more were arrested Thursday following the football match. Young people on scooters and on foot went looking for Israeli supporters, punched and kicked them, then fled to escape the police, according to the mayor of Amsterdam.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof met with members of Amsterdam’s Jewish community on Tuesday to discuss anti-Semitism following the violence. Reports of anti-Semitic remarks, vandalism and violence have increased in Europe since the start of the war in Gaza.

A total of eight people are in custody as part of the investigation into last week’s violence, aged 16 to 37, from Amsterdam and neighboring towns, according to police.

Police said they identified more than 170 witnesses and collected forensic evidence from dozens of people.. The prime minister said he was also reviewing videos posted on social media.

The mayor has banned all protests in the city and declared several Amsterdam neighborhoods risk zones where police can arrest and control anyone. Dozens of people were arrested on Sunday for taking part in a banned pro-Palestinian demonstration in the center of Amsterdam.

A small demonstration was broken up by police on Tuesday outside Amsterdam City Hall during a debate over the unrest, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

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Casert reported from Brussels. Mike Corder and Molly Quell in The Hague contributed.