Police said the fire Monday was quickly extinguished and riot officers cleared the square. Images online showed people damaging property and setting firecrackers. There were no reports of any injuries.
Some rioters could be heard on video shared on social media using slurs against Jewish people.
Police noted the tense atmosphere since five people were treated in the hospital and dozens detained Thursday following a Maccabi Tel Aviv-Ajax match. Youths on scooters and on foot went in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing to evade police, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.
Supporters of Palestinian terrorists were banned by local authorities from gathering outside the stadium. Before the match, Maccabi fans also tore a Palestinian flag off a building in Amsterdam and chanted anti-Arab slogans on their way to the stadium. There were also reports of Maccabi fans starting fights.
Dutch police announced five new arrests Monday in their investigation into that earlier violence. The suspects are men aged 18 to 37 and are from Amsterdam or surrounding cities. Four are still in custody; the fifth has been released but remains a suspect.
Reports of antisemitic speech, vandalism and violence have been on the rise in Europe since the start of the war in Gaza, and tensions mounted in Amsterdam ahead of Thursday night’s match.
