adminBRUSSELS. – A riot broke out on the streets of Brussels last night during the World Cup clash between Belgium and Morocco.
Cops blasted water cannons and fired tear gas as rampaging football fans chucked fireworks, flipped cars and set fire to scooters.
Around 100 riot cops were scrambled to the chaos in the capital during the game – which ended with a 0-2 defeat for Belgium in Qatar.
Shocking footage showed fires burning in the middle of the road and raging fans smashing the windows of a red car and driving it through the street before flipping it.
In another clip, cops could be seen moving in with water cannons as supporters tossed fireworks and pelted cars with bricks.
Thick smoke filled the streets as football fans also set off flares and police fired tear gas and raised their shields.
Other videos showed Moroccan supporters wearing and waving flags as they ran down the street. “Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries,” said Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere.
Reports also say some 50 people attacked the Liege Droixhe police station at around 6.10pm in the wake of the match, smashing windows and damaging police vehicles.
Shops have also been reportedly destroyed in the violent disturbances
A street lamp also toppled over due to the weight of supporters climbing on it.
A bus shelter on Place de l’Yser has also been destroyed. Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest.
Brussels mayor Philippe Close condemned the violence and warned people not to come to the city centre.
He said he has ordered the cops to make arrests.
“I strongly condemn the incidents that occurred this afternoon,” he said.
“The police have already acted harshly. So I advise supporters not to come to the centre.
“The police are doing everything they can to maintain public order.”
Police have reportedly been deployed to the Christmas market in the Belgian capital amid fears of further violence.
Disturbances also broke out in the centre of Rotterdam, Netherlands, when around 500 supporters threw fireworks and glass at police.
Riot police have also been deployed on the streets of Amsterdam after around 500 football supporters let off fireworks and torched a car near Mercatorplein in the Dutch city.
Tensions were already mounting before the start of Sunday’s match as fireworks were thrown near Brussels-South railway station.
It’s not clear what sparked the riots.
“Around 7pm calm returned and preventive patrols remain in place in the sectors concerned,” police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere said.
“The rioters used pyrotechnic material, projectiles, sticks, and set fire on the public highway,” the police said. “Also, a journalist was injured in the face by fireworks. It is for these reasons that it was decided to proceed with a police intervention, with the deployment of water cannon and the use of tear gas.”
Morocco’s victory was a major upset at the Qatar World Cup and was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian cities.
Nearly 20 per cent of Belgium’s more than 11.5million people are of foreign origin – with roughly 500,000 people of Moroccan descent.
They make up the country’s largest non-EU population and one of the largest Moroccan diasporas.
Back in 2017, more than 20 police officers were injured in Brussels when celebrations over Morocco’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup turned violent. – The Sun
Online Reporter