Amsterdam police arrested 29 people during and after Sunday’s far-right demonstration against immigration in the capital.

The protest itself passed off without major incidents, but after the rally officially ended, a group of demonstrators moved towards the city centre, chanting slogans and setting off fireworks before being surrounded by police.

Most of the arrests were for vandalism and public order offences, police said. Estimates of the number of people taking part ranged from 500 to around 1,000.

There was a heavy police presence on the Museumplein and along the route of the march, with mounted officers and a water cannon on standby in case of trouble. Last month, an anti-immigration protest in The Hague erupted into a riot, leading to dozens of arrests and attacks on police officers, parliament and political party offices.

Some demonstrators carried modern Dutch flags, while others displayed the flag once used by the Dutch Nazi party, featuring orange instead of red.

Bystanders watched as the protesters marched past shouting “AZC, weg ermee” (get rid of refugee centres) along with racist and antisemitic chants. One group, marching behind a “Defend Netherlands” banner, sang about GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans, calling him a “dirty cancer Jew”.

Timmermans was later verbally abused by several men dressed in black as he sat at a café being interviewed by RTL ahead of Sunday evening’s television debate for the general election on October 29.

One of the men again called him a “dirty dog” and gave a Hitler salute as he walked away.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema, who was also targeted with chanted abuse during the demonstration, said on social media: “If you confuse free speech with intimidation, you’re out. All our democratic leaders – whether their name is Wilders or Timmermans – must be able to debate freely. Hands off!”

Wilders has stopped campaigning in public after being placed on a hit list by a Belgian terror cell, despite being told there is no longer a threat to his safety.