Qatar 2022: 170 arrested in Morocco fans party in Paris
Police had deployed 1,220 officers in Paris in anticipation of trouble and appear certain to repeat the operation on Wednesday when Morocco will play France for a place in the final
At least 170 people were arrested in France as celebrations to mark Morocco’s World Cup quarter-final victory over Portugal were marred by violence.
Paris police said 19 officers had been injured, none seriously, amid clashes on the Champs-Élysées, where an estimated 20,000 people gathered after Morocco became the first African national to reach a World Cup semi-final. There were similar incidents in provincial French cities, injuring a further 33 officers, at least one seriously.
Police had deployed 1,220 officers in Paris in anticipation of trouble and appear certain to repeat the operation on Wednesday when Morocco will play France for a place in the final.
The match will take place against an inflammatory backdrop, with France having exercised colonial rule over the north African country in the first half of the 20th century.
A total of more than 750,000 Moroccan immigrants now live in France, according to a 2017 census.
Morocco’s victory over Portugal was celebrated with notably more fervour than France’s win over England. Fireworks could be heard across the Paris suburbs, while members of the Moroccan community drove around honking horns and waving flags.
Police say the gathering on the Champs-Élysées began peacefully before turning violent when gangs of youths arrived at about 11pm. It is not clear whether they were Moroccan supporters or locals looking for trouble. Police said projectiles including fireworks were thrown at officers, motorbikes were set ablaze and shop fronts vandalised.
Police fired tear gas and charged the crowds in an attempt to restore order. A total of at least 100 people were arrested in Paris, including 23 under the age of 18.
More than 70 people were arrested in provincial French cities. Mathieu Valet, an official for the French Police Superintendents Union, said an officer had suffered second degree burns in Lille after being hit by a firework.
“Unfortunately, the party [to celebrate Morocco’s victory] has been transformed into an organised attack to wound police officers,” he said. “After each Morocco victory, there are the same scenes of violence in France.” He said that offenders had a sense of impunity because of the criminal justice system’s failure to crack down on them.
