A Jewish youth soccer team that was attacked by a pro-Palestinian mob in Berlin armed with sticks and knives had to be placed under police protection.

Makkabi Berlin’s youth team players said they were “hunted down” by Arab youths after a match against their local rivals.

The team consists of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16.

The game was played in Neukölln, a neighborhood known for its large population of Arabs and Turks.

Said a father of one of the players telegraph that his son was deeply shaken when he was upset during the game and was bullied by adults and children who watched the team off the field.

One of the players said he was chased by “Arab youths” who shouted “Free Palestine” and “F***ing Jews” and threatened the players with knives and sticks.

State security investigates alleged abuse and anti-Semitic threats against young Jewish footballers at Makkabi Berlin

German Makkabi president Alon Meyer told the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper that other witnesses said there had undoubtedly been threats, including chasing people with knives.

Opposition club Schwarz-Weiss Neukölln said they would identify and expel those involved.

The police unit responsible for investigating politically motivated crimes, the Staatsschutz, has launched an investigation into the incident.

Makkabi Berlin was founded in the 1970s by Holocaust survivors and was the first Jewish sports club in the German capital after World War II.

Earlier this month, a Makkabi Berlin fan wearing the club’s scarf was taken to hospital after a man in a cafe asked him if he was Jewish and punched him in the face.

It comes amid violence in the neighboring capital, Amsterdam, where a mob set fire to a tram on Monday and fans of an Israeli soccer team were attacked last week.

The tram was set on fire by a group of people carrying sticks and firecrackers, police said.

Police said the fire was quickly extinguished and riot officers cleared the square.

Online footage showed property being damaged and people setting off firecrackers, reported to be chants of “cancer jews”.

a person looks at a damaged tram where the windows were broken in Amsterdam on Monday

Police officers in riot gear patrol the streets of Amsterdam following ongoing violence

Police said it was unclear whether Monday’s fire was related to last week’s incidents or who started it.

They said there was a tense atmosphere as five people were taken to hospital on Thursday following an Ajax match with Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv, where dozens of people were detained.

Youths on scooters and on foot went in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them and then running to evade police, according to Amsterdam’s mayor.

The scenes in Amsterdam were enough to strike fear into other European nations.

Paris police announced on Sunday that 4,000 officers and 1,600 stadium staff would be deployed for a France-Israel soccer match to ensure security in and around the stadium and on public transport.

France and Israel will play a UEFA Nations League match on Thursday that will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Elysee presidential palace has announced.

Israel’s National Security Council, in a statement on Sunday, warned citizens abroad to avoid sporting and cultural events, especially the match in Paris, and to be wary of violent attacks “under the pretext of demonstrations”.