Violence in Molenbeek after Morocco's Africa Cup defeat

Violence broke out in the Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek after Morocco was defeated in the Africa Cup of Nations football championship, despite preventative efforts from police and authorities.

Hundreds of young people took to the streets and threw fireworks and crowd barriers after Sunday night’s match between Morocco and Senegal, injuring four police officers and resulting in 11 administrative arrests.

Most of the incidents were concentrated on the Chaussée de Gand, between Étangs Noirs and Osseghem.

“The atmosphere was completely different from previous matches because Morocco had lost this time. There was no party mood - on the contrary, people deliberately sought confrontation with the police,” said alderman Dirk De Block (PVDA/PTB).

A team of 80 volunteers had been formed to help with crowd control but were unable to prevent the violence.

“Young people threw Christmas trees, shopping trolleys and containers on to the street and then set them on fire,” said Maarten Bijnens, a local resident and vice-chairman of the N-VA branch in Molenbeek.

“The police used tear gas and a water cannon. When the young people had left, I started cleaning up with a few neighbours.”

Another resident said the rioting had been going on for days prior to the football match: “It's a celebration that shouldn't even have taken place because they didn't win. It's been like this for a week. It's no longer a celebration, it's vandalism, it's annoying the neighbourhood.”

Damage was still visible as of Monday morning, with vandalised bus shelters and several streets littered with glass and remnants of fireworks. A Beobank branch was also damaged, while other shops were spared.

De Block said there was a clear difference between football supporters who wanted to express their emotions and young people who were looking for confrontation.

“These are tense moments in the city,” said De Block.

“In high-risk matches, 95% of people just want to celebrate or mourn, but there’s also a small group who are there for the thrill.

"For them, football is just an excuse. The difference is that these people are very mobile. They arrange to meet via Snapchat, move from place to place and deliberately seek confrontation."