In North Rhine-Westphalia, numerous people celebrate Morocco's entry into the World Cup semi-finals. It remains mostly peaceful, but there are also riots.
Dusseldorf (dpa / lnw) - After Morocco's entry into the semi-finals of the soccer World Cup, public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia has temporarily come to a standstill in many cities due to the predominantly peaceful celebrations caused by car parades and large crowds of fans. But the police also had to take action against rioters and violence, especially in the major cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf.
After the North Africans won 1-0 in the quarter-finals against Portugal on Saturday evening, thousands of Moroccan fans gathered in the state capital, especially in the area around the main station and in the Oberbilk district, and celebrated with Bengalos and motorcades. According to a statement, the police had an "intensive and long" operation because bottles and firecrackers were thrown at emergency services and property was damaged. One officer was slightly injured, according to the statement. There were also traffic disruptions. The police initiated several criminal proceedings, the operation ended around 11 p.m.
In the city of Cologne, the police had to intervene on the inner-city Hohenzollernring and in Humboldt-Gremberg on the right bank of the Rhine because of the crowds of fans, units from all over the city were on duty, according to a statement. The ring and a street on the right bank of the Rhine had to be closed for several hours. Unknown persons smashed the rear window of a police vehicle with stones. Nobody got hurt. An officer was hit by a bottle on his helmet but was also unhurt. The police have started the investigation and are evaluating video recordings.
It was peaceful and exuberant in other places. According to a police spokesman, around 300 football fans celebrated in downtown Essen. "Pyrotechnics were also ignited, but overall everything remained peaceful," said the spokesman in the evening. In Dortmund, a motorcade drove through the city with a horn concert. Bengalos and firecrackers were lit and Moroccan flags waved.
According to the police, up to 500 people celebrated in high spirits in Hamm. "There was an exuberant party atmosphere throughout - there was music, dancing and peaceful celebrations. There were no crimes," was the police report.
