Early on Thursday morning, a large group of taxi drivers gathered outside Amsterdam’s Holland Casino. The night before, Israeli soccer fans had stolen and set a Palestinian flag on fire, while others damaged a taxi. In response, the drivers had reportedly seen a call online encouraging them to “mobilize,” according to police reports.

Inside the casino, hundreds of Israeli fans waited for police to escort them back to their hotels due to nearby confrontations, officials stated.

An Israeli fan, identified only as Barak, recounted meeting a young man in the casino with cuts on his face and hands, who described being ambushed by individuals on scooters. “His face was covered in blood,” Barak said in a Friday interview.

Holland Casino announced it had terminated a security guard’s employment after discovering messages he posted in a chat group later that night. In a shared screenshot, the guard reportedly offered to inform others on the thread if Israeli fans “showed up again.”

Shortly after the match, attacks targeting Israeli fans took place across Amsterdam. The assaults escalated following a Europa League game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Amsterdam-based Ajax. Amsterdam officials are still piecing together the incidents, which included reported antisemitic acts and inflammatory actions from both sides, sparking international backlash from leaders like President Biden and the heads of Israel and the Netherlands.

Local leaders largely agreed that certain Israeli fans’ actions had inflamed anger among Amsterdam’s Muslim community by chanting offensive slogans and desecrating a Palestinian flag. Officials also confirmed several attacks on Israeli fans, typically in swift assaults involving bicycles or on foot, and noted that some attackers seemed to target people specifically for being Jewish. The prosecutor, René de Beukelaar, confirmed an investigation into possible organized connections among the incidents.

Tensions in Amsterdam had already been heightened, with around 2,700 protests related to Gaza permitted this year, mostly peaceful but some resulting in disruption or damage. Concerned about violence, City Council member Sheher Khan, a prominent Muslim representative, had unsuccessfully urged the mayor to prevent visiting Israeli fans from attending the game.

The mayor, Femke Halsem, explained that the national security coordinator saw no specific threats against the Israeli fans, though the police took precautions, deploying 800 officers around the match venue.

In the aftermath, multiple videos surfaced online, capturing incidents in which people, seemingly identified as Maccabi fans, were chased or assaulted. Friday morning’s police report noted five hospitalizations and numerous injuries, with 63 arrests made before the game’s start. By Saturday, Amsterdam officials issued a temporary ban on public protests.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof canceled his climate conference plans, announcing ministerial meetings focused on the Amsterdam attacks and antisemitism. Meanwhile, Israeli officials arranged flights to return hundreds of Maccabi fans home, where some were heard chanting anti-Arab slogans upon arrival, as shown in videos verified by The Times.

Amsterdam’s City Council is scheduled to review the incidents, as local communities and international leaders express their concerns and await further police reports on the disturbing events.