Boy, 14, is killed as riots break out in France after Morocco's World Cup defeat to Les Bleus: Carnage breaks out as football fans clash in the streets of Paris, Nice and Montpellier after The Atlas Lions crash out of FIFA tournament semi
By David Averre For Mailonline 08:57 AEDT 15 Dec 2022 , updated 13:11 AEDT 15 Dec 2022
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French police confirmed one teenager was killed after being struck by a vehicle
Police deployed with riot gear, water cannons and tear gas to quell the unrest
France beat Morocco 2-0 to dump the North African nation out of the World Cup
Shocking video footage has emerged of the moment a teenage boy was run down on the streets of Montpellier as Moroccan fans riot following their World Cup semi final defeat to France.
The boy, 14, was part of a large group of what appeared to be Moroccan supporters marauding down Rue de la Mosson in the southern French city when they happened upon a white hatchback with a French flag flying out of its window.
The group descended on the car, attempting to rip the flag away from its owner, when the driver panicked and performed a hasty U-turn to cross into the oncoming lane and make a quick getaway.
Several members of the crowd could not react in time and the teenager was sucked under the wheels, sustaining critical injuries. Authorities confirmed he was transferred to a nearby hospital but later died.
This is the moment a panicked French driver tried to make a quick getaway when the car was set upon by what appeared to be Moroccan fans and ran down a teenager, killing him
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Riot police are battling to maintain order as French and Moroccan football supporters clashed in cities across France and Belgium following the semi-finals of the World Cup.
Scenes from the southern French cities of Montpellier and Nice saw fans fighting in the streets, launching flares at one another and setting fire to rubbish bins in the streets while cops brandished batons and used water cannons to quell the unrest.
In Brussels meanwhile, roughly 100 Moroccan fans gathered near Brussels South station, throwing fireworks and other objects at lines of police dressed in riot gear but dispersed quickly when tear gas was deployed.
Some 10,000 police officers in France and Belgium were gearing up for carnage on the streets tonight after Les Bleus dumped underdogs Morocco out of the World Cup. Around 2,200 officers, many of them equipped with riot gear, are stationed in Paris alone with police vans and barricades lining the Champs-Elysees.
France and Morocco fans clash in the southern French city of Montpellier
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A man stands next to burning trash containers, after France's victory over Morocco in the Qatar 2022 World Cup semi-final, in Nice on December 14, 2022
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Morocco fans in France had been in a celebratory frenzy ever since their team went on its historic World Cup journey, becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the last four in the global showpiece event.
In some places, including the Champs-Elysees, the supporters clashed with police, destroying cars and shop windows after beating Portugal in the quarter-finals, while supporters ran riot in Brussels when their team defeated the Red Devils 2-0 in the group stage.
Supporters poured into Paris' freezing Champs-Elysees on Wednesday after a World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco which for millions tugged at the heartstrings, as 'Les Bleus' won 2-0 to reach the final for a second time in a row.
They were flanked by hundreds of police trucks securing the area as fans let off fireworks.
Deeply enmeshed by their colonial bonds and post-war flows of migrant labour from North Africa to France, the two nations share a history that has shaped their identities and their politics, and made for a sometimes edgy relationship.
France and Belgium are both home to a large Moroccan community, many of whom have dual citizenship.
Police form a line on either side of a water cannon vehicle in Brussels after France won the World Cup semi-final football match between Morocco and France on Wednesday, December 14, 2022
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Football fans hold smoke flares as they celebrate France's victory over Morocco in the Qatar 2022 World Cup semi-final on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on December 14, 2022
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Last Saturday, when Morocco beat Portugal in the quarter-finals, 20,000 fans descended on the Champs-Elysees to celebrate the historic win but clashes broke out between supporters and riot police who fired tear gas, with 100 people arrested after shops were damaged and cars set alight.
In Belgium, police were forced to seal off parts of capital and the port city of Antwerp while officers also deployed water cannons and fired tear gas to disperse crowds as violence broke out following Morocco's 2-0 victory over the Red Devils in the group stage.
Dozens of rioters set steps on fire and threw bricks at cars, before riot cops moved in when one person suffered facial injuries, according to a police spokesperson.
Riot police officers stand in a street during clashes, in Brussels, after Morocco lost the Qatar 2022 World Cup semi-final football match between Morocco and France, on December 14, 2022
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General view of police officers in riot gear and a fire after the match on the streets of Brussels
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Jawad El Yamiq of Morocco looks dejected after the 0-2 loss during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi final match between France and Morocco at Al Bayt Stadium on December 14, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar
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Police officers brandish batons while dressed in riot gear on the Champs-Elysees. The Arc de Triomphe can been seen looming in the background
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Tonight, police were more prepared, having lined the pavement of the Champs-Elysees with barricades and police vans.
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