President Joe Biden and several members of Congress on Friday were aghast after Israelis were attacked following a soccer match in Amsterdam.

Young people on scooters crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then fleeing quickly to evade police, Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said.

In Telegram groups, she added: “There is talk of people going on a Jew hunt. That is so shocking and so despicable that I still cannot fathom it.”

Five people were treated at hospitals, and 20 to 30 people suffered minor injuries, police said. At least 62 suspects were arrested.

Tensions had been mounting in the Dutch capital over Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, even before the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday night. Amsterdam authorities banned a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration near the stadium, and video showed a large crowd of Israeli fans chanting anti-Arab slogans en route to the game.

"The Antisemetic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam are despicable and echo dark moments in history when Jews were persecuted," Biden wrote on social media. "We've been in touch with Israeli and Dutch officials and appreciate Dutch authorities’ commitment to holding the perpetrators accountable. We must relentlessly fight Antisemitism, wherever it emerges."

Some U.S. lawmakers described the onslaught as or compared it to a “pogrom," a reference to attacks on Jews in Russia and eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history, called the assault “pure evil” that was reminiscent of Kristallnacht, also known as the “Night of Broken Glass,” a series of pogroms by German Nazi paramilitary groups that targeted Jews in 1938.

“The failure to protect the fans must be investigated swiftly and comprehensively,” Schumer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “The resurgence of antisemitism around the world is completely unacceptable and must be forcefully condemned.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who is also Jewish, said the attacks were “completely abhorrent.”

“It is a modern day pogrom,” she posted on X. “I am thankful for the Prime Minister’s commitment to bring these perpetrators to justice but there must be a thorough investigation into why these antisemitic attacks were able to go on for so long without law enforcement intervention.

“Combating antisemitism no matter where it occurs must be the priority,” she added. “We must come together, globally, to fight antisemitism.”

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said he strongly condemns “the Pogrom that took place in Amsterdam last night” and urges “the Dutch authorities to take swift action against the pro-Hamas perpetrators.”

“The Biden administration should send a clear message to Jews around the world that America has their back,” Cotton posted on social media.

Biden had not issued a statement about the incidents as of around 12:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday. But Jack Lew, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, condemned what he called the “reprehensible attacks against Israelis in Amsterdam.”

“We stand with the Dutch Prime Minister, Israel, and all who condemn hateful antisemtic [sic] violence,” Lew wrote.

Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, posted on social media that the “break-down of civil society in Amsterdam we saw last night is appalling.”

“Roving gangs targeting Jews is antithetical to our way of life,” wrote Curtis, who was elected to the U.S. Senate this week. “This coordinated attack and the rampant levels of antisemitism perpetuated by lackluster leadership must be stopped.”

Added Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan.: “After the Holocaust, we pledged never again. There is no place for antisemitism and it’s disheartening that the world needs this reminder.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.