Belgian Police Disperse Angry Fans in Brussels after France-Morocco Match
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Belgian police stormed a crowd of fans in Brussels on Wednesday after the French national team defeated Morocco in the semifinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
A group of fans fired fireworks at the police, who had to charge to disperse the crowd, using water cannons and tear gas, as reported by the Belgian newspaper ‘Nieuwsblad’.
Several people were also arrested in Antwerp, local news agency Belga reported. Authorities had feared larger disruptions following riots in Belgium and the Netherlands after Morocco beat Belgium in the group stage of the tournament.
While there were riots in some parts of the capital, there were Moroccan volunteers who cleared the streets of fireworks in an attempt to calm the situation in Brussels, where there have been the first arrests, although the exact number is not known at the moment.
Supporters also set fire to boxes and a motorcycle on Lemonniet Boulevard in central Brussels. In the early afternoon, the Brussels police had preventively closed the Halle Gate tunnel, in the direction of Gare du Midi, as reported by ‘Le Soir’.