The right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), called for the deportation of fans of Moroccan origin and their families, following riots in The Hague after the Moroccan national team won against the Dutch team in the 32nd round of the World Cup by penalties.
Wilders’ statements came after the Dutch police intervened to contain disturbances that erupted in the Schilderswijk neighborhood of The Hague, where authorities reported the arrest of several individuals following the throwing of fireworks and bottles towards security forces during the celebrations that followed the match.
In a post on the platform “X,” Wilders called for “cleaning the streets” and “deporting the rioters with their families to Morocco,” adding: “This is our country, leave.”
In a later post, he considered that celebrating a sports victory should have been done peacefully; however, the targeting of police and the outbreak of riots, as he described them, justify the arrest of those involved and their deportation, arguing that not taking strict measures would lead to the recurrence of these events.
Wilders’ statements come in the context of his well-known strict positions on immigration, particularly concerning the Moroccan community in the Netherlands, positions that have previously sparked significant controversy within the country and led to criticisms and legal actions against him due to discriminatory statements.
