Brussels (Capital of Belgium) – After Morocco’s shocking 2-0 victory over Belgium in the World Cup on Sunday, riots broke out in various locations around Belgium and the Netherlands.
About a dozen people were arrested in Brussels after police used water cannons and tear gas to break up crowds, and eight more were arrested in the city of Antwerp in the north. In the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, two police officers were hurt. By Sunday night, most of the cities were back to a calm, but uneasy, state.
Dozens of protesters turned cars over and set them on fire, set electric scooters on fire, and threw bricks at cars. One person was hurt in the face, said Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere, so police went to the scene.
The mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, told people to stay away from the city centre and said that the government was doing everything it could to keep the streets safe. Even the subway and tram had to stop because the police told them to.
“Those people aren’t fans, they’re troublemakers. Close said, “The Moroccan fans are there to party.” There were also problems in the cities of Liege and Antwerp.
“It’s sad to see how a few people use a situation to get out of hand,” said Annelies Verlinden, the minister of the interior.
Police in the nearby country of the Netherlands said that violence broke out in the port city of Rotterdam, where 500 soccer fans attacked police with fireworks and broken glass. The news said that there was trouble in the capital, Amsterdam, and in The Hague. Morocco’s win was a big surprise at the World Cup, and fans with Moroccan roots in many Belgian and Dutch cities were very happy about it.
