After France defeated Morocco 2:0 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, crowds of Moroccan fans poured into the streets of numerous European cities, such as London, Amsterdam or Brussels.
The greatest violence was recorded on the streets of London, where riot police have been deployed since last night after one police officer was seriously injured in the riots.
The police officer was injured after being hit in the head with a glass bottle, police said.
In a statement, police said officers were called to a street in northwest London after a group of people gathered on the road and blocked traffic.
A police spokesman said:
“The incident then escalated with the group throwing bottles and setting off fireworks. As a result, additional officers were deployed to the area. One officer was taken to hospital with head injuries. It is believed he was hit by a glass bottle. No other injuries were reported. Officers remained in the area and made four arrests for disorderly conduct, after which the group dispersed and the road reopened from 1am.”
He added that the police will not tolerate “such riots on our streets, nor attacks on our policemen”.
Police remained in the area overnight and reviewed CCTV and videos circulating on social media to ensure all those responsible are brought to justice.
Footage shared on social media showed several dozen police officers in full riot gear walking down a street amid broken glass and trash. Several police officers were seen kneeling over the person who was lying motionless on the ground and appeared to be injured.
About a dozen policemen were surrounded by rioters, who threw smoke bombs and bottles and yelled at the policemen in unison.
In one video, four young men perched on top of a telephone booth waved a Palestinian flag and white soccer jerseys as a large crowd gathered around them and cheered. One of the men was wearing a cap with what appeared to be a Moroccan flag attached. Several green fireworks were set off, causing several people nearby to scream and run.
Those who remained began to applaud as the men on top of the phone booth waved the Palestinian flag for the second time.
In another part of the road, a shirtless man was seen climbing a traffic light above a separate crowd of even younger men, some wearing red shirts that looked like Morocco jerseys. Elsewhere, there were reports of violence among fans gathering after World Cup matches across Europe.
Emergency police were also deployed in Amsterdam, where a video showed a large fire on a busy street and a person throwing a chair at a parked vehicle.
BREAKING:
People wounded in The Hague, Netherlands after riots following the France-Morocco game
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Injuries were also reported in The Hague. In Brussels, it was reported that groups of supporters set off fireworks and chanted “free Palestine”.
Fans also marched through the streets and threw eggs at police officers in Rotterdam. There was a heavy police presence in Paris where large-scale riots were expected to follow the match, with around 20,000 police deployed across France.
There were no reports of disturbances; instead, the capital was in a celebratory mood. Fans of the French and Moroccan teams were seen celebrating together on the Champs-Élysées as cars honked their horns, despite Morocco’s defeat.
“Even when we lose, we celebrate,” one Morocco fan told Le Figaro, reports Klix.
