Dutch deputy leader slams Moroccan football fans after riots
Riots by Moroccan fans after World Cup quarterfinal loss prompt strong criticism from Dutch politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Yeşilgöz.
Dutch Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dilan Yeşilgöz has strongly criticized Moroccan football fans after they sparked riots in several Dutch cities following their team's 2-0 loss to France in the World Cup quarterfinal.
According to Dutch media, fans took to the streets on Thursday evening, throwing glass bottles at police, prompting anti-riot officers to disperse the crowds. In Rotterdam, police officers were pelted with eggs, while in Amsterdam, rioters reportedly fired fireworks at law enforcement and behaved aggressively toward journalists.
Yeşilgöz, known for her tough stance on migration, wrote on social media last year before becoming minister: "There are too many people coming into our country. This has to be different. And fast too."
Far-right leader Geert Wilders also weighed in, accusing Yeşilgöz's VVD party — which is part of the governing coalition — of having let "scum" into the country.
This is not the first time disturbances have occurred after a Morocco match. Following Morocco's victory over the Netherlands in the Round of 32, police in The Hague arrested 13 people on suspicion of public violence or disrupting public order. Earlier in the year, after unrest linked to the Africa Cup of Nations final, authorities in The Hague detained a further 14 individuals.
