French domestic intelligence warns of right-wing violence after France-Morocco semifinal

PARIS (AA) - The French domestic intelligence agency Direction Generale de la Securite Interieure (DGSI) warns of riots after World Cup semifinal game between France and Morocco in Qatar on Wednesday evening, in a memo said to have been obtained by radio station Europe 1.

The presence of ultra-rightists on the streets could add to the chaos, the report said. On social media, several neo-Nazi accounts reportedly spoke of a "civil confrontation between the two nations."

According to Europe 1, in Strasbourg, several dozen members of the "Strasbourg Offender," a hooligan group made up of neo-Nazis, Identitarians and ultra-nationalists, were said to be planning to take to the streets of the city center after the match to "patrol" and "restore order."

The radio station quotes an unnamed source from the security authorities as saying, "It's not possible (to expect) that there won't be any incidents."

Police in Corsica are also said to have received a number of witness statements alleging that young Corsicans repeatedly attacked Moroccan fans celebrating Morocco's victory over Portugal on December 10.

According to the report, a dozen young Corsican nationalists allegedly kicked Moroccan vehicles while chanting racist slogans in Corsican such as "Arabi Fora" - "Arabs out."

In the DGSI memo, the domestic intelligence agency wrote, according to Europe 1: "The unprecedented path (Morocco) is triggering unprecedented enthusiasm."

The Moroccan team has become a "symbol of pan-Arabism," the authorities continue. Fans from "working-class neighborhoods now focused mainly on the exploits of the Moroccan team."

Further, the DGSI is said to state in its memo that, "if Morocco wins, the riots could intensify and spread to other areas with strong Algerian or Tunisian representation, especially to problematic neighborhoods that were not affected in the previous match."