Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had arrived in the city for a Europa League match against Ajax, and footage was widely shared the night before of a group of fans climbing a wall to tear up and burn a Palestinian flag.
According to the Amsterdam council report, taxis have also been attacked and vandalized.
Emine Uğur, a well-known columnist in the Muslim community, says the tensions behind the Gaza war meant the violence that followed was “a long time coming”.
He talks about the lack of recognition of the pain that communities felt from the conflict, which had left many without an outlet for their sadness and frustration.
The flag burning incident and anti-Arab chants were seen as a deliberate provocation.
But then messages calling for revenge appeared on social media, using chilling terms such as “Jew hunting”.
On the night of the match, a pro-Palestinian protest was moved out of the Johan Cruyff Arena, but violence broke out a few hours later.
A 12-page report by Amsterdam authorities describes some Maccabi supporters as “vandalizing” the city center.
It then highlights “small groups of rioters…engaging in violent actions targeting pro-Israeli and nightlife crowds” across the city center. They moved “by foot, scooter or car…carrying out serious attacks”.
The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, described the incidents as deeply alarming and pointed out to some that they were a reminder of historical pogroms against Jews.
For a few hours, some Jewish communities in the European capital felt under siege.
These events coincided with the anniversary of the 1938 Nazi pogroms against Jews, also known as Kristallnacht.
This only added to the fears of Amsterdam’s Jewish community, although local imams and other members of the Muslim community attended the memorial service.
Senior members, including Esther Voet, editor of the Dutch Jewish Weekly, organized emergency shelters and coordinated rescue efforts for those who feared for their lives.