Saint-Jean-Molenbeek (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The assault resulted in a black eye alongside broken ribs and also caused damage to his back and legs. Iliass (22) encountered Club Brugge hooligans while shielding his father from their attacks and received the full force of their assault in Saint-Jean-Molenbeek. “They shouted: ‘Go back to your country'”, he says.
Club Brugge supporters violently attacked a DIY store operated in Molenbeek because the proprietor tried to secure his shutter doors. The intruders entered the shop by breaking in and assaulting the store owner’s son, Iliass, while damaging merchandise. Witnesses reported racist slurs during the attack, including chants of “Go back to your country” as reported by VRT.
The incident led to local youths starting a counterattack that resulted in numerous arrests. Public concerns have emerged regarding police tactics and the participation of a right-wing supporter organisation involved during the violent outbreak in Saint-Jean-Molenbeek.
At 2 of the 3 entrance doors, that works well, and the shutters can be lowered.
“Luckily, at least the actual shop with all the tools was safe,”
says son Iliass this morning on the sidewalk in front of the shop.
“Otherwise, they would have had hammers and shovels and such.”
Iliass’ father, who was injured in the head, is not present.
“I mainly wanted to protect him from the attackers,”
Iliass explains.
“He had only recently had surgery, and I was really afraid that something would happen to him. But during that attack, I thought I was going to die; I saw my whole life passing before me.”
“Apparently, they didn’t like the fact that we wanted to close the store,”
Iliass thinks. “But it was also racism. While they were attacking me, I heard all sorts of things. ‘I’m going to kill you’, but also ‘Go back to your country’.”
A friend who lives across the street from the store and witnessed the raid also said racism played a role.
“I heard them shouting, ‘Where are the Muslims?'”
“Most fans are not violent at all. Then you have the classic hooligans who challenge other supporter groups, and then there are these kinds of groups. These are people for whom football is more of a pretext for violence. In reality, these are more extreme right-wing militias than supporters. Look at the clothes. You hardly see any Club Brugge symbols, but you do see a kind of black uniform. Their discourse about ‘red rats’, for example, is also reminiscent of fascism.”
Dewaele is still surprised by the police’s late response. “In any case, we need to tackle this better, for example, with a mandatory combination scheme or a police escort if supporters do go on foot.”
What led to the violence between Club Brugge fans and Molenbeek residents?
Club Brugge supporters started the brutal clashes with Molenbeek residents on May 4, 2025, because of the tensions that surrounded the Belgian Cup final in Brussels. Competitors belonging to the Club Brugge fan base engaged in violent confrontations with Molenbeek-Saint-Jean residents before the match started in the Picardstraat and Maritime district areas.
Visual evidence presented police footage showing groups of mobbers perpetrating attacks on Molenbeek businesses while damaging shops and striking people with batons and fireworks weapons. Community tensions, together with local football team rivalries and territorial battles between residents, escalated into the conflicts which started before the Belgian Cup final match. The police used water cannons and made arrests to stop the violence, which nonetheless led to injuries among multiple individuals and harmed local businesses in the area.
Local political figures criticised the behaviour as racist and demanded increased protection against these kinds of disturbances from hooligans. This disorder exposed multiple management problems in handling fan conduct while exposing the social tensions occurring in the Molenbeek districts of Brussels, which have dealt with drug violence and neighbourhood conflicts in the preceding years. Club Brugge achieved victory by beating Anderlecht 2-1, even though riots were happening outside the stadium.
