Police in Antwerp arrested 87 people on Saturday during riots that followed the World Cup match in Morocco. The North African country reached the semi-finals of the tournament in Qatar with a 1-0 victory over Portugal, after which many people took to the streets.
A group of masked youths smashed the windows of a police station and arrested dozens of rioters. Fireworks were also thrown at buses and trams. About 70 people have been arrested.
Police have also issued dozens of fines to partygoers who drive unsafely. Two cars were reserved until after the World Cup. One of them was a Dutch car with blue lights and stickers referring to Morocco’s state security service.
Earlier, it became clear that the police in Brussels used tear gas and water cannons when rioters destroyed and threw stones and fireworks. Sixty people were arrested in the Belgian capital.
However, the police maintain that most of the people on the street turned it into a Saturday night party.
There was also a state of anxiety in many Dutch cities on Saturday after Morocco’s victory. The Middle East region entered into force in Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague. 35 people were arrested for, among other things, insulting the police, rowdy behavior and setting off fireworks.
An emergency order was issued in Amsterdam and The Hague. And in Utrecht, rocks, cans and heavy fireworks were pelted police officers. Twelve officers, four of whom were slightly wounded, were wounded.
Most of the people arrested have been released, but at least four people remain in detention.
