Rotterdam mayor won’t create a “state of siege” during Morocco’s next World Cup match

The mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, is not planning on announcing an massive expansion of police powers to enforce a “state of siege” immediately or after Morocco’s next World Cup game. The men’s national football team takes on Portugal at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

“The measures we have in place have worked well so far. We need to take the disturbances seriously, but we should not overreact to the severity of it”, he said in a city council debate. He was responding to questions from local political party Leefbaar Rotterdam.

The biggest party in Rotterdam is worried about the well-being of the Rotterdam police officers. Last Tuesday, an officer was left with hearing damage after a heavy firework bomb exploded. According to Leefbaar, the victim is in danger of having a permanent disability.

Aboutaleb is not planning on closing the city center during the match. “Come do your grocery shopping, buy something, drink something, eat something; it is especially fun at this time of year in the city.” He promised the party that the police would be more than ready to keep things running smoothly.

The 35 arrests last Tuesday are proof that the measures are working according to the mayor. “People who are caught setting off fireworks are arrested immediately. Also, there was no damage to public or private assets. All the material damage that occurred thus far is the door of the Pathé cinema on the Schouwburgplein the week before at an earlier match.”

A majority of the parties support the mayor’s stance. They accused Leefbaar Rotterdam of “unnecessarily sowing fear” and therefore putting Rotterdam in a “negative light.”

Aboutaleb also spoke about his appreciation of the neighborhood centers and neighborhood fathers who have done good work keeping the peace in Rotterdam neighborhoods around the match.