Thousands of riot police were called out on force across France as supporters ended up in a violent brawl with Moroccan fans after their World Cup semi-final. France secured their place in the final against Argentina which will take place on Sunday after they beat the Moroccans 2-0 on Wednesday night, the Mirror reports.
French supporters took to the streets to celebrate their victory but were met with Moroccan fans in some areas, resulting in violent clashes involving fireworks and flares. France has a large Moroccan population of around one million people which is mainly focused in Paris and the Mediterranean coast as the country is a former colonial ruler of Morocco.
Videos posted on Twitter by newspaper Midi Libre Montpellier showed the vicious brawls between fans at the city's Place de la Comédie. In the clips, people can be heard screaming as groups of men throw flares and fireworks at one another before police stepped in using tear gas.
Footage also showed rowdy men picking chairs up from the floor and wielding them while waving French flags. After some peace was eventually restored, the thrilled French fans remained in the square to celebrate their win in a more calm fashion.
Goals scored by Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani saw Didier Deschamps' players head to the final at the Lusail Stadium where they will defend the trophy they claimed in Russia four years ago.
Meanwhile in Paris, riot police were also called out on the Champs-Elysees in an attempt to break up crowds as shocking footage on social media showed hooded men reportedly running after Moroccans down the streets after the game ended.
French authorities were prepared for the mayhem and had ordered out 10,000 police officers across the country with 5,000 of them alone being assigned to Paris.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said: "Our Moroccan friends, just like the French supporters, are welcome to organise a party and our job is not to stop them from partying... but this will have to be done under good security conditions."
Police were ordered to establish checkpoints to search fans for flares and smoke bombs to prevent further vandalism and violence. The measures were set up after violent brawls in Paris following Morocco's celebrations after beating Portugal on December 10.
Jeanne d'Hauteserre, local mayor responsible for the Parisian district, had conveyed his worries well in advance of Wednesday’s game. He told French CNews: "When you want to celebrate victory, you don't come with mortars. But these people are really only coming to smash with iron bars.
“For Wednesday, everyone is afraid of a war, a guerrilla war, a civil war, and we do not want the Champs-Elysees to be transformed into a battlefield.” In the French City of Nice on the Mediterranean Coast, there have also been some scattered issues between French and Moroccan supporters.
Similar reports were confirmed in Lyon, where local media said that police were attacked by aggressive fans with stones and projectiles and fired teargas to try and control the situation.
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