World Cup: Brussels Braces for Potential Unrest Ahead of Belgium-Morocco Match

The memory of the riots that occurred in 2017 around the Stock Exchange following the Morocco-Côte d’Ivoire match that qualified the Atlas Lions for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is still vivid in the minds of downtown Brussels merchants. Fights involving 300 people, 22 injured police officers, many looted and vandalized shops, urban furniture as well as preparations for the Winter Pleasures damaged. The situation had become almost out of control.

The downtown Brussels merchants fear that a similar situation will occur. "Regardless of the result, we expect clashes," explains the representative of the merchants of the Stalingrad Avenue. We hope that the police will take the necessary measures to secure the merchants and that the federal reserve will be reinforced. In 2017, there were only two intervention platoons, which was clearly insufficient."

He assures that he has already drawn the attention of the authorities to the danger represented by the Nadar barriers and the construction site furniture in the context of the construction of the North metro, the project of the decade. Nour Eddine Layachi, president of the Stalingrad-Lemmonier Merchants Association, expresses concerns about the outcome of the match. "The Nadar barriers are open and provide easy access to the construction site that is already making our lives miserable. In 2017, a furniture gallery was set on fire and I sincerely hope that this scenario will not be repeated," he explains.

In addition to calling for reinforcements from security guards, other establishments like Falstaff, targeted by Anderlecht hooligans last August, and whose damage amounted to 187,500 euros, not counting tables and chairs, decide to barricade themselves, according to La Dernière Heure. The police are also playing their part. "All the Red Devils matches are prepared with the different police zones and the federal police. This concerns all the matches, not just this match between Belgium and Morocco," explains Robin De Becker, from the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police zone (PolBru).