This no one expected for sure. Police used water cannon and teargas after coming under attack from football supporters who brought havoc to the center of Brussels following Morocco’s shock 2-0 World Cup win over Belgium in Qatar. Here’s what you need to know.
According to reports, dozens of fans smashed shop windows, threw fireworks and torched vehicles. Police said that 11 people had been arrested with one remaining in custody. Even before the end of the match, “dozens of people, including some wearing hoodies, sought confrontation with the police, which compromised public safety,” Brussels police said in a statement.
Violence Erupts In Brussels After Morocco Beats Belgium In World Cup
A spokeswoman said some fans were armed with sticks and a journalist “was injured in the face by fireworks.”
Around a hundred police officers were mobilized while residents were warned to avoid certain areas of the city center. Metro stations were closed and streets sealed off to limit the spread of the violence. A surveillance helicopter flew over the city before calm was restored at around 7pm.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the incidents of this afternoon. The police have already firmly intervened. I therefore advise against fans coming to the city center. The police are doing all they can to maintain public order,” tweeted the mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close. “I have ordered the police to carry out arrests of the troublemakers.”
Belgium is home to around 500,000 people of Moroccan descent. In the eastern city of Liege, a gang of 50 people attacked a police station, breaking windows and damaging two police vehicles. The police there also resorted to water cannon. Storefronts and a bus shelter were vandalized. Incidents also broke out in Antwerp in the north where a dozen people were arrested.
Meanwhile, Dutch riot police carried out baton charges in three cities to disperse unruly Moroccan football supporters celebrating their team’s victory. The Netherlands’ large Moroccan community burst into celebrations, lighting torches and fireworks and driving around hooting car horns and waving Moroccan flags shortly after the match ended.
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