Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Riots and chases took place between the Belgian police and numbers of fans during celebrations in the streets of Brussels, following Morocco's victory over Belgium in a football match within the World Cup currently being held in Qatar.
The police had to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the fans, most of whom were Moroccans. After the streets witnessed fires, cars and storefronts were smashed, and the mayor of the city, Philip Klose, issued a statement condemning what happened and ordering the police to arrest anyone involved in any vandalism.
Many Moroccans expressed their anger at the developments that took place and said that, unfortunately, their joy was not complete because of these unfortunate events, which took place in separate areas, especially near the train station south of Brussels, where there are Moroccan cafes, where numbers of young men gathered to watch the match, and the police had prepared before the match. For such developments, she demanded that fans exercise restraint and adhere to a specific location in the city center
But throwing bottles, setting fires, and breaking cars prompted the police to intervene to disperse these people, and several street chases took place between the police and the fans. Similar events took place in other Belgian cities, including the city of Antwerp in the north of the country, where the fans climbed to the windows of some houses to bring down the Belgian flag that was raised on these windows.