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Rabat – French far-right groups have begun to target Moroccan football fans, citing rare instances of violence following Wednesday’s 2-0 victory for France in the semi-finals.
Mathilde Panot, President of the left-wing La France Insoumise group at France’s National Assembly, took to the media to express concern over the actions of far-right groups in the country.
“We have been alerted that there could be actions akin to beatings against supporters of the Moroccan team,” Panot said. “I am very worried about far-right groups in our country.”
Actu Lyon posted footage of clashes between law enforcement and “supporters” following the match, later confirming that far-right groups were implicated in the violence.
“At Montpellier around forty fascists armed in mortars attacked Moroccan and French supporters who were partying at the Place de la Comédie,” Raphael Arnault, spokesman for the Young Antifascist Guard, said on Twitter. “There are already a few wounded on the site.”
Montpellier saw another instance of celebrations turning into tragedy when a car displaying a French flag ran over a 14-year-old boy who is believed to be of Moroccan descent.
Reports said the driver was charging into Moroccan supports with the car intentionally, while police said they are searching for the culprit.
Far-right groups have targeted Moroccan supporters since the start of the Moroccan fans’ celebrations of their team’s historic World Cup run, using some violence that broke out during the celebrations to push anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric.
Speaking on CNews earlier during the tournament, a pundit claimed that hatred for France is the “fruit of multicultural, multi-ethnic societies.”
Morocco achieved a historic run at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, becoming the first African and Arab country to reach the semi-finals.
Despite a 2-0 loss against France on Wednesday, thousands of Moroccan fans across the world took to the streets to celebrate the team’s performances throughout the tournament.
