SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 5 December 2024, Thursday |

Belgium-Morocco World Cup match triggers riots in Brussels, dozen people detained

After Morocco’s victory over Belgium in the World Cup match in Qatar sparked rioting in Brussels with a car and some electric scooters set on fire, Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest on Sunday.

Numerous locations in the Belgian capital saw riots break out as soccer fans, some of whom were wearing Moroccan flags, fought with riot police while being attacked with water cannons and tear gas.

“Around 7 p.m. 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,” the police said.

    Source:
  • Reuters