Police arrested several people throughout the country on Saturday night following Morocco’s win against Portugal in the World Cup’s semifinal stage.
In Rotterdam, 14 people were arrested, while 13 others were arrested in Amsterdam. There were four arrests in The Hague, and one in Utrecht.
In Rotterdam, riot police were deployed and horses were brought in to disperse the large crowds and a number of arrests were made for setting off fireworks and committing public violence. Similar scenes were witnessed in other cities, NL Times reported.
“Such a shame that a special victory in our country is completely ruined in this way. It’s embarrassing. Proud of our police and ME who put the cities to rest yesterday through quick and adequate action. Arrests have been made and more will follow!” tweeted Justice and Security Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius from the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy party.
Meanwhile, Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest on 27 November after Morocco’s victory over Belgium in the World Cup match in Qatar triggered riots in Brussels that saw electric scooters and a car set on fire.
The same thing happened on 6 December, when Morocco beat Spain in the World Cup and riot police were called in to control the supporters who initiated riots throughout the country.
The World Cup has been controversial as, according to a 2021 investigation by The Guardian, 6500 migrant workers have died since Qatar was awarded the right to hold football’s biggest event. Following this, on 14 November, Qatar’s Labour Minister Ali Bin Samikh Al-Marri was criticised at the EU Parliament’s human rights committee for the violations of workers’ rights during event preparations.
(Sofia Stuart Leeson | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
