London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Rioting in Brussels after Belgium loses World Cup match to Morocco

Rioting in Brussels after Belgium loses World Cup match to Morocco

Tear gas and water cannons used against crowds as Morocco fans celebrate victory.
Police used tear gas and water cannons against football fans in central Brussels on Sunday as violence broke out in the aftermath of Belgium’s 2-0 defeat to Morocco in the FIFA World Cup.

Riot police were deployed to a Christmas market in the downtown area of the Belgian capital, and police ordered the shutdown of some public transport lines. Fires were set and rocks were thrown at vehicles. A group of young Morocco fans smashed up a car and rental scooters, according to footage from a BBC journalist on the scene.

A hundred police officers were dispatched against the football supporters who destroyed street furniture and threw projectiles at the police, according to reports. At least one vehicle was set on fire.

“Dozens of people, including some wearing hoodies, sought confrontation with the police, which compromised public safety,” Brussels police said, according to Le Soir. At least 10 people were arrested, the newspaper reported.

Morocco’s victory was a major upset at the World Cup tournament and was celebrated exuberantly by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots.

Rajae Maouane, a Belgian politician with Moroccan heritage who is co-president of French-speaking party Ecolo, condemned the violence. “No excuse for the violent behavior of these ‘supporters,'” she tweeted. “Real supporters celebrate with joy and respect.”

Rudi Vervoort, the Socialist minister-president of the Brussels Capital region’s government, wrote on Twitter: “Nothing justifies the vandalism of these hooligans who bring shame to real fans. The police is doing everything it can to maintain public order.”

The majority of celebrations in Brussels by the city’s sizeable Moroccan community were peaceful, others were careful to point out. The Moroccan diaspora in Belgium numbers around half a million people.

There were also disturbances in the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Liège, the Associated Press reported.

Philippe Close, the Socialist mayor of the city of Brussels, also condemned the violence, and advised football supporters not to come to the center of town. The Brussels police advised people not to travel to the Boulevard du Midi and adjacent streets.

“Violence is inappropriate in such circumstances,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said. “Football should be a party,” he added.

“Sad to see how a few individuals abuse a situation to run amok,” Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said.

The Flemish far-right party Vlaams Belang seized on the altercations to further its nationalist, anti-immigration and anti-Islam agenda. The party’s Chairman Tom Van Grieken said Belgians with Moroccan heritage are “free to leave” the country.

Police in the Netherlands said violence erupted in Rotterdam, with riot officers attempting to break up a group of 500 football fans who pelted police with fireworks and glass, the AP reported. Unrest was also reported in Amsterdam and The Hague.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×