The higher the Moroccan team ascends in the World Cup semifinals, the more culture-enriching riots break out in various major cities across Western Europe. The Netherlands is particularly affected by the phenomenon, due to its large Moroccan minority.

Even if Morocco were to lose and drop out of the running, however, the riots would continue. When their team wins, Moroccans riot. When it loses, they riot. It’s a longstanding tradition that culture-enriching football fans riot, no matter what. Rioting is simply Moroccans’ preferred form of public cultural expression.

Many thanks to Gary Fouse for translating this article from the Dutch state broadcaster NOS:

Moroccan fans’ celebration again gets out of hand in various cities

The World Cup victory of Morocco over Portugal is being celebrated tonight in several Dutch cities. The street celebrations began in a festive fashion but ended up in disturbances in several locations. The police intervened, and emergency orders were announced.

In the Lombok neighborhood of Utrecht, the ME [special riot squad] was deployed. There the police were pelted with fireworks. “What began as a festive atmosphere in the city, unfortunately, became grimmer in certain places as the evening progressed. The ME was deployed because an unacceptable situation arose around the mosque square through destruction, the throwing of heavy fireworks, and aggression against the police,” the community announced.

Fans came out together as well in the Overvecht and Kanaleneiland neighborhoods. As far as we know, it remained peaceful there.

Rotterdam Police: Go home

In the center of Rotterdam, people drove through the streets blowing their horns. Hundreds of people came together, and due to the commotion, parts of the inner city were closed off. That happened at Kruispleien and Hofplein.

Because of the commotion, the police finally asked fans to head for home. “It is just too much, and we want to give everyone the chance to get in and out of Rotterdam,” a spokesperson announced.

On the Kruisplein [square], the riot police intervened around 8:30pm, since some of the fans ignored the call to go home. Fourteen people were arrested, the police announced on Twitter, among other reasons for incidents with fireworks.

Emergency order in Amsterdam

According to police, in Amsterdam there were disturbances in several places. At Tussen Meer, a main street in the Osdorp neighborhood, at around 8pm, an emergency order was given. Thus everyone had to leave the area. The police deployed a water cannon in the area as can be seen in the images.

The Mercatorplein [square] in the western part of the city, where disturbances took place during the previous match, soon filled up after the match. About 1,000 fans had gathered there and heavy fireworks were set off. Several routes to the square were blocked off as a precaution by the riot police. That had not happened before.

According to police in the capital city, several arrests have been made.

In the video, you can see how a police officer dances with fans in the Mercatorplein.