Morocco fans thank police in The Hague after World Cup loss; Riot police in Rotterdam, Amsterdam
Many fans of the Morocco men’s national football team were out on the street in the Schilderswijk neighborhood of The Hague after the their World Cup loss to France on Wednesday. Younger people there spent time to say thank you to police and parents from the area.
Additionally, some handed out snacks to police in Utrecht, while in Amsterdam there were more journalists than football fans on Mercatorplein. However, on Tussen Meer in Amsterdam, the police accused dozens of people of intentionally seeking confrontation with them. Meanwhile, there were some arrests in Rotterdam where heavy fireworks were detonated, and the riot police unit was deployed there.
Appreciative fans give thanks in The Hague
Fans came out to the Stortenbekerstraat in Schilderswijk after Morocco's loss, which puts the team into the third place match against Croatia this weekend. Fireworks and flares were set off for a short time, with many letting off bursts of red and green, the colors of the Moroccan flag, according to an ANP reporter.
The streets were practically empty at about 11:30 p.m., but groups walked by in various places from time to time. One person was arrested for setting off fireworks, but otherwise it was a lot calmer "than after the last games,” a police spokesperson said.
The police and neighborhood fathers were among those thanked during a speech delivered by the young people on the street. Hundreds of people were present to express their appreciation for their team.
The police were present in the area in significant numbers. The neighborhood was one of the locations where riots broke out after Morocco's previous World Cup matches, like in several other cities.
The police indicated they expected it to be quieter on the street on Wednesday evening than previous times. There were some groups of people on the street here and there, but no incidents, according to a spokesperson.
Amsterdam deploys riot police on Tussen Meer; More journalists than fans on Mercatorplein
It was largely quiet in Amsterdam immediately after the match, however that changed a bit around 11:45 p.m. “More than 100 people in the Tussen Meer area are seeking confrontation with the police,” authorities said on social media.
As a result, an emergency order was in effect. The riot police there were expected to clear the area, and possibly charge into the crowd to try and get them to disperse.
An hour earlier, the police reported that it was quiet in the city with no incidents to speak of. At a number of locations, including on Tussen Meer, fireworks were set off and loud blasts could be heard.
In Amsterdam, it was quiet on the Mercatorplein compared to Morocco's previous matches during the World Cup in Qatar. Young people who were present on the square were searched, another ANP reporter said.
Due to previous unrest, Mercatorplein was declared a security risk area. That gives police the power to carry out preventive and random searches of anyone in the area, which also allows them to deal with people possessing fireworks.
There was a heavy police presence at the location. There were also more journalists than fans on the square. Four men from the mosque there who were on the street to help keep the peace said to a few young people passing by, "They lost, go home.”
Riot police intervene in Rotterdam, arrests related to fireworks
The riot police in Rotterdam chased young people out of the West-Kruiskade and Kruisplein in the city center on Wednesday evening. Groups of young people set off fireworks there after the World Cup match. They also blocked the street and threw some rocks at the police. A bystander was also assaulted, and the victim suffered a broken nose, police said.
The police ordered them to leave several times. Fathers and mothers from the neighborhood approached the remaining group, but to no avail. The riot police then marched down the street in formation, but without carrying out any charges.
Two people were arrested in the city for setting off heavy fireworks. Decorative fireworks were also set off in a number of places in the city.
Generally, it was much quieter than during the previous matches, police said immediately after the match. It had even been quieter and pleasant near West-Kruiskade by Kruisplein, where many people had been present at Morocco’s earlier victories.
Until the riot police intervened, the atmosphere was relaxed, with only a few dozen people setting off fireworks here and there.
A Moroccan flag was waved from a single car, according to an ANP reporter. Neighborhood parents, dressed in green vests, were also assisting with supervision.
Disappointment in Utrecht, but snacks handed out to cops
About a hundred people were hanging around the Moskeeplein in the Lombok neighborhood of Utrecht, an ANP reporter reported from the scene. Some fireworks were set off, but overall the atmosphere was a bit sullen.
Dishes full of snacks were passed around. These were also given to the police officers present in the area.
The reporter at the scene said there were about as many police as football fans. It was quiet on Damstraat, also in Lombok, one of the areas that saw jubilant celebrations turn tense after previous Morocco victories.
Relatively calm in Amersfoort
It was also mostly quiet in Amersfoort soon after the game ended. Ten small groups were walking around the Van Randwijklaan and some fireworks were set off in a few places.
There were also cars driving around with Moroccan flags. At Rotonde de Stier, where it grew restless after previous matches, it was still relatively calm at 11 p.m.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times