Wednesday night’s semi-final match between France and Morocco was feared to cause unrest and danger across Europe. We were especially careful in France. Morocco is a former French colony and France is home to an estimated 1.5 million Moroccans or French-Moroccans.
Morocco’s supporters around the world have celebrated the historic World Cup success with devotion after each victory. At the Qatar Games, Morocco became the first African country in history to reach the semi-finals.
However, mild phenomena have not been avoided. On Saturday, both Morocco and France won their quarterfinals. By then, an estimated 20,000 people had gathered on the Champs-Élysées in France to celebrate, and the police made several arrests.
At the weekend, Morocco’s victory over Portugal was also celebrated in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, a state of emergency was declared in the Osdorp district when Moroccan supporters occupied the main street Tussen Meer.
Especially in Brussels and Antwerp, there were already disturbances in the initial group stage when Morocco beat Belgium. In France, the police had to use tear gas to calm down groups that damaged shop fronts.
The mayor even talked about the fear of “civil war”.
More than 10,000 police officers were preparing for Wednesday’s semi-final in France. More than 2,000 of them patrol in Paris. The numbers were double compared to France’s previous World Cup matches.
– Our Moroccan friends, like the French supporters, are welcome to organize parties, and it is not our job to prevent them from celebrating. But it must be done in good security conditions, the French interior minister by Gerald Darman announced.
Mayor of the 8th arrondissement of Paris Jeanne d’Hauteserre called for the Champs-Elysées to be closed, stating that 2,000 policemen were not enough.
According to the Telegraph (you’ll switch to another service) the mayor even said he feared that the Champs-Elysees would “become a battlefield” and that the events would “turn into a civil war”. According to him, people only come to “break things with iron pipes”.
Morocco was a protectorate of France from 1912 to 1956. The World Cup semi-final was considered “a match of epic proportions” especially among Moroccans.
Moroccan reporter Amine El Amri described by the BBC (switch to another service)that Morocco has a special bond with France, like a relationship of friendship or brotherhood, which is sometimes good, sometimes shaky.
– It’s not like a war-torn relationship, as it could have been, like for example in Algeria. Things went badly when we were fighting for our liberation, but afterwards things went well.
– It will be amazing. Decades of history collide during a 90-minute game, said to the New York Times (You’re moving to another service) French historian Yvan Gastau.
The match also became a tool for internal politics
Many French-Moroccan dual citizens said that despite the joy, it was not easy to choose a side during the semi-final. For example, a football coach Oussama Addref said that his acquaintances had described the decision as having to choose “between father and mother”.
Gastaut, who teaches at the University of Nice, told the NY Times that the Moroccans’ celebrations and unrest may have been fueled by discrimination and racism experienced by immigrants.
Land shortage policy and national identity have been burning topics in France. According to the NY Times, political parties have used events during the World Cup as their weapons.
For example, the chairman of the far-right National Alliance Jordan Bardella stated that “immigrants behave like citizens of a foreign country by constantly expressing a sense of revenge that may be related to our colonial history”.
Researcher at the University of Toulouse Rim-Sarah Alouane said For Dailymail (you switch to another service)that far-right politicians have seen the match as a “loyalty test” for French people of immigrant background.
– (Right-wing politicians) do not accept that France has developed and that there is a new generation that is confident with its multiple identities, Alouane reflected.
27-year-old journalist and podcaster Anas Daif said that he misses identity discussions and the “political hijacking” of the game. In his opinion, it is an opportunity to celebrate the country’s multiculturalism.
– We’ll get to the final anyway, the dual citizen beamed to the NY Times before the semi-final, even though he said he supported Morocco.
Morocco got huge support behind it, because in many places its historical success was felt to represent African, Arab countries as well as Palestine. The Moroccans had rallied Palestine to their support when the country’s players were seen holding the Palestinian flag.
When Algeria and France met in 2001 for the first time since Algeria’s independence in 1962, the match ended in chaos. The Algerians booed the French national anthem and later stormed the pitch, leading to the match being abandoned.
There were no similar fears during the World Cup match, even though the security measures at the Al Bayt stadium during the semi-final were also tight.
One tragic accident occurred – 266 arrests
When the World Cup match had then paused and ended with a 2–0 victory for France, the party could begin. In Paris, French flags were flying on the Champs-Elysees and torches lit up the sky, but according to the news agency AFP, the celebrations were mostly peaceful, and the worst fears did not come true.
AFP reports that the atmosphere was tense but good-natured. French supporters sang “we are in the final”, car horns sounded and riot police followed from their cars.
The police had dispersed the group that was shooting fireworks around the Riemukaari. In addition, the police announced that they had arrested a far-right group that was on its way to the Champs-Elysees with “prohibited weapons”. For example, many had found knives.
The biggest tragedy happened in the city of Montpellier, when a 14-year-old boy was hit by a car. The car was found nearby, but the driver had fled the scene.
The police said 20 minutes on the site (you will switch to another service)that the driver of the car had waved the French flag out of the window and had apparently drifted off the road significantly because of it.
A video from Montpellier also spread immediately after the match, in which the groups of French and Moroccan supporters seem to be throwing torches at each other.
In Lyon, France’s third largest city, seven people were arrested. In the city of Annecy, objects were thrown at the police, and one injured in the fight was taken to hospital. 14 people were arrested in Avigno for fireworks.
Also according to the news agency AP, last night’s events were mostly restrained. The Moroccans and the French had watched the match in the domes in warm harmony.
– Bravo to the Moroccans. Tonight, not only France will win, but all French-speaking people… We are together and the Moroccans are with us in the final, the Parisian Corentin Voiseux your line.
French magazine According to Le Figaro (you will switch to another service) a total of 266 people were arrested throughout the country, 167 of them in Paris. About 40 policemen were injured.
Le Monde (you switch to another service) and 20 minutes (you switch to another service) write that 38 of those arrested belong to well-known far-right organizations. According to the media, in Lyon, for example, the police had to intervene in two cases where activists of far-right groups tried to attack fans.
In the Belgian capital Brussels, which also has a sizable Moroccan community, around 100 people were arrested late Wednesday after soccer fans shot fireworks at police officers and damaged cars, a police spokesman said. Ilse Van de Keere said.
The World Cup final between Argentina and France will be played on Sunday, December 18. The broadcast starts on TV2 at 4 p.m., the match at 5 p.m. Bronze match Morocco-Croatia (MTV) on Saturday, December 17. follows the World Cup in this article.