Saint-Jean-Molenbeek (Brussels morning newspaper) – The assault resulted in a purple eye next to broken ribs and also caused back and leg damage. ILIASSS (22) met the Brugge Hooligans club while protected his father from his attacks and received all the strength of his assault on Saint-Jean-Molenbeek. “They shouted:” Go back to your country, “he says.
The supporters of the Brugge Club violently attacked a DIY store operated in Molenbeek because the owner tried to ensure their shutter doors. The intruders entered the store when breaking and assaulting the son of the store owner, Iliassss, while damaging the merchandise. Witnesses reported that racist insults last the attack, including the songs of “returning to their country” as reported by VRT.
The incident led local young people to start a counterattack that resulted in numerous judgments. Public Conerns have emerged with respect to police tactics and the participation of a right-wing party organization involved the violent outbreak in Saint-Jean-Molenbeek.
At 2 of the 3 entrance doors, that works well and the blinds can be lowered.
“Fortunately, at least the real store with all the tools was safe”,
His son Iliass says this morning on the sidewalk in front of the store.
“Otherwise, hammers and shovels and others would have.”
Iliass’s father, who was an injection into the head, is not present.
“I mainly wanted to protect it from the attackers.”
Iliass explains.
“I had undergone surgery recently, and I was very afraid that something happened to him. But the duration of that attack, I thought I was going to that; I saw all my life I was fine.”
“Apparently, they did not like the fact that we wanted to close the store,”
Iliass thinks. “But it was also racism. While they attacked me, I heard all kinds of things.” I’m going to kill you, “but also” go to your country. “
A friend who lives on the other side of the store’s street and witnessed the raid also said that racism played a role.
“I heard them shout,” Where are the Muslims? “
“Most fans are not violent at all. Then you have the Hooligans classics that challenge other groups of supporters, and then there are groups of groups. These are people for which football is more a pretext for violence, these are more similar to those that are more similar to bullets, these are wiser. Look at clothes.
Dewaele is still surprised by the late police response. “In any case, we need to address this better, for example, with a mandatory combination scheme or a police escort if supporters come out on foot.”
What led to violence among Brugge club fans and Molenbeek residents?
The supporters of the Brugge Club began the brutal clashes with the Molenbeek residents on May 4, 2025, due to the tensions surrounding the Belgian Cup final in Brussels. The competitors that belong to the Brugge club fans are dedicated to violent confrontations with the Molenbeek-Saint-Jean residents before the game began in the areas of Picardstraat and the Maritime District.
The visual evidence presented police images that show groups of helmets that perpetrate attacks against Molenbeek’s businesses while damaging stores and people beaten with canes and fireworks weapons. Community tensions, together with the rivalries of the local football team and the territorial battles among the residents, became the conflicts that began before the final match of the Belgian Cup. Police used water cannons and made judges to stop violence, which, however, caused injuries among multiple individuals and damaged local businesses in the area.
Local political figures criticized behavior as a racist and demanded greater protection against this type of Hooligans disturbances. This disorder presented multiple management problems in the management of fans behavior while exposing the social tensions that occur in the districts of Brussels Molenbeek, which have dalt with violence of drugs and neighborhood conflicts in the previous years. Club Brugge achieved victory by beating Anderlecht 2-1, even though the disturbances were happening outside the stadium.
