Mass riots hit Europe after Morocco’s world cup victory against Spain
Following Morocco’s shock World Cup penalty shoot-out victory over the Spanish national team on Tuesday, Moroccan fans have once again rioted across multiple countries, including Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
The scenes of chaos mark the third time Moroccan fans have rioted following a World Cup victory, with the first two times last month already drawing condemnation.
Video of last night’s riots have been spread across social media, including from the account of Italian Transportation Minister Matteo Salvini, who wrote, “Morocco eliminates Spain, so they ‘celebrate’ in Milan… I hope that those responsible are identified and pay all damages.”
Critics are pointing at the now weekly scenes of mass unrest from Moroccan fans as a case in point for the failure of multiculturalism, with these fans not only rooting for a rival national team but also actively destroying their own cities.
Moroccan fans celebrating in a number of Spanish cities turned to violence, such as in Bilbao, where multiple videos show fans rampaging through the streets.
Fans also set cars on fire in the Spanish city of Reus, according to reports from BNN Spain.
Before the match, Moroccan fans and Spanish fans were already clashing in Huelva, a city in Andalusia, prior to kick-off.
The widespread nature of the riots, including outside of Spain, underlines the level of animosity some Moroccans feel for the European nations they live in. The Dutch national team has not even faced off against Morocco yet, but fans in the country battle with riot police in Amsterdam, just as they did after Morocco’s victory over Belgium.
The Hague also saw chaos on the streets, with fans attacking police vehicles in the Schilderswijk neighborhood.
In France, the city of Lille saw Moroccan fans starting fires and attacking police with fireworks. Riot police responded by charging the revelers in an attempt to disperse them and restore calm.
Fans in the French city of Nice also fired pistols into the air, blocked streets, and terrorized residents.
“Are we still in France? Tram blocked and rocked, police attacked and cars burned. This is the result of Morocco’s victory in the streets of Nice! Zero tolerance against these criminals who defy our laws!” wrote Les Republicans politician and former presidential candidate Eric Cotti on Twitter.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, was also hit with mass riots following Morocco’s victory over Spain, with fans attacking police vehicles. Belgium has one of the largest Moroccan populations in Europe, numbering over 500,000 in a country of 11.5 million.
As Remix News previously reported, Belgium and the Netherlands were hit by widespread riots following Morocco’s victory last month. Video footage of these previous incidents can be seen here.
