Dutch parliamentarians clashed on Wednesday in a heated debate to discuss the attacks on Israeli fans after a football match last week, with some lawmakers pointing fingers and others urging unity.

The Netherlands is still dealing with the political fallout from last week’s clashes in Amsterdam, dubbed ‘anti-Semitic attacks’ by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, which were reportedly provoked by fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv, the club that lost Thursday’s match 5-0.

As a result of the clash, five Maccabi fans were briefly hospitalised after being beaten up by a group of men on scooters, while 62 were arrested. Footage from the stadium during the game also showed Maccabi fans jeering and whistling during a minute’s silence for those killed in floods in Valencia.

According to BBC News, videos posted to social media sites showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans chanting racist slogans about Arabs and Palestine, as well as climbing on a building to tear down a Palestinian flag on display. The outlet quoted social media users as saying the videos were from before the attacks on Israelis.

Jazie Veldhuyzen, a senior city councillor, had earlier confirmed that Israeli hooligans instigated the violence in Amsterdam. He stressed the need for a thorough and objective examination. He said that on Wednesday night, “Maccabi hooligans had initiated to attack houses with Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian Amsterdammers. That’s when the violence started.”

Amsterdam’s Police Chief Peter Holla had also confirmed that Maccabi supporters attacked a taxi and set a Palestinian flag on fire on Wednesday, according to BBC.

Reacting to the clashes, Dutch far-right MP Geert Wilders, leader of the biggest party in the coalition government, said the perpetrators of the violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “all Muslims” and “for the most part Moroccans”.

The anti-Islam Wilders called for the attackers to be prosecuted “for terrorism.”

“For the first time since the Second World War there was a hunt on Jews,” Wilders said, adding “I am sick of being criticised when I tell the truth.”

But the firebrand MP drew the ire of opposition parties, who accused him of “adding fuel to fire”.

‘Dividing the country’

While unanimously condemning the violence, left-wing parties have called for dialogue with the Muslim community instead of “dividing the country”.

“I share the condemnation of the violence in Amsterdam and yes, there was indeed anti-Semitic violence,” left-wing opposition leader Frans Timmermans said.

“You are simply stoking the fires while this country has a need for politicians to unite people and find solutions,” Timmermans told Wilders.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema on Tuesday called the attacks a “poisonous cocktail” of anti-Semitism and hooliganism.

The violence took place against the backdrop of an increasingly polarised Europe, with heightened tensions following a rise in antisemitic, anti-Israeli and Islamophobic attacks since the start of the Gaza conflict.

The Dutch PM indicated that the government would present concrete steps to tackle antisemitism on Friday.

Eight people remained in custody over the violence.