Police officer in hospital after clashes with Morocco fans on Edgware Road
Police officer in hospital after clashes with Morocco fans on Edgware Road
Emily BlumenthalFri, July 10, 2026 at 4:45 AM UTC
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Rioters encircled some of the officers, throwing smoke bombs and bottles - @CrimeLdn/X
Credit: @PaulBrown_UK/X
Riot police were deployed to central London on Thursday night after an officer was taken to hospital following clashes with Morocco fans.
After France beat Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, crowds flowed on to Edgware Road, where some people set off fireworks and pelted officers with debris.
An officer was injured after being hit over the head with a glass bottle, police said.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the street in north west London after a group of people congregated in the road and blocked traffic.
A police spokesman said: “The incident then escalated with the group throwing bottles and setting off fireworks. As a result, further officers were deployed to the area.
“One officer was taken to hospital for head injuries; it is believed he had been hit by a glass bottle. No other injuries were reported.
“Officers remained in the area and made four arrests for violent disorder, with the group dispersing and the road re-opened from around 1am.
“We will not tolerate such disorder on our streets, or attacks on our officers.
“A police presence will remain in the area overnight and we will be reviewing CCTV and video footage circulating on social media to ensure all those responsible are brought to justice.”
Dozens of officers in full riot gear were deployed to Edgware Road after Morocco’s World Cup loss to France - @PaulBrown_UK/X
Footage shared on social media showed several dozen officers in full riot gear walking on the street amid scattered broken glass and rubbish.
Several officers were seen kneeling over a person who was lying motionless on the ground and appeared to be injured.
Approximately a dozen officers were encircled by rioters, who threw smoke bombs and bottles and shouted in unison at the officers.
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In one video, four young men perched on top of a phone box waved a Palestinian flag and a white football jersey as a large crowd gathered around them and cheered.
Clashes reportedly erupted among fans on Edgware Road after the match - @PaulBrown_UK/X
One of the men was wearing a cap with what appeared to be a Moroccan flag attached to it.
Several green fireworks were detonated, prompting multiple people nearby to scream and flee.
Those who remained began to applaud as the men on top of the phone box waved the Palestinian flag a second time.
In another area of the road, a shirtless man was seen climbing a traffic light above a separate crowd of more young men, some of whom wore red shirts that appeared to be Morocco jerseys.
Unrest in Amsterdam and The Hague
Elsewhere, there were reports of violence among fans gathering after the World Cup match across Europe.
Injuries were reported in The Hague as riot police deployed to quell violence - Mouneb Taim/AP
Crowds of Morocco fans gathered in The Hague, some of whom were carrying Palestinian flags - Mouneb Taim/AP
Riot police were deployed in Amsterdam, where video footage showed a large fire on a busy street and a person throwing a chair at a parked vehicle.
Injuries were also reported in The Hague.
In Brussels, groups of fans were reported to have set off fireworks and chanted “free Palestine”.
Fans also reportedly marched through the streets and threw eggs at officers in Rotterdam.
Some of the gatherings in Amsterdam were peaceful - Michel Van Bergen/EPA/Shutterstock
There was a heavy police presence in Paris where large-scale unrest had been expected to follow the game and about 20,000 officers were deployed across France.
There were no reports of rioting; instead, the capital was in a festive mood. Fans of the French and Moroccan teams were seen celebrating together on the Champs-Élysées as cars honked their horns, despite Morocco’s loss.
“Even when we have lost, we celebrate,” one Morocco fan told Le Figaro.
Paris, where large-scale unrest was expected, appeared to avoid the rioting reported in London and The Netherlands - Firas Abdullah/EPA/Shutterstock
Source: “AOL Sports”
