Looking back on a memorable and eventful World Cup, one might think of the unexpected victories of some teams or the equally unexpected losses of others. But this World Cup will be remembered for another, much less desirable reason: violent clashes between Moroccan supporters and the police in cities across Europe. It is a clash of civilizations that continues to shake Europeans’ faith in the idea of multiculturalism.

Two examples shed light on this clash. The first was on November 27, when Morocco won 2 to 0 against Belgium. The second came on December 14, when France won 2 to 0 against Morocco. In both cases, the same result occurred: Moroccan immigrants took to the streets to cause chaos. They set fire to rubbish bins and cars, threatened supporters of the opposing team, committed assaults, and fought against the police.

In the cities where Moroccans celebrated their victory, highly political events occurred. On the Champs-Élysées in Paris on December 6, after the victory against Portugal, a flag was burned—not of a country involved in the World Cup—but of Israel. Cries of “Free Palestine!” also rang out.

In Brussels, Belgium, on November 27, a journalist’s face was injured by fireworks. Infrastructure such as traffic lights was destroyed. Ten people were arrested. In Liege, Belgium, supporters attacked a police station and damaged cars.

Many political representations were published on the Internet, including one that replaced the images of Moroccan players with the faces of Moroccan warriors who fought against Spain.

On the pitch in Qatar, in front of thousands of spectators and millions of tv viewers, the team waved a Palestinian flag. Hamas even congratulated the team after the victory. And shouts of “Allah Akbar” rang out at every goal and every penalty shootout.

In Avignon, France, rioters looted a truck and damaged a store. Groups of 300 threw stones and shot fireworks at the police. Nine people were arrested.

However, the arrests made on November 27 were nothing compared to those after France’s victory over Morocco on December 14. In Paris and surrounding areas, 266 people ended up in police custody, and 10,000 police and gendarmes were on hand. In Brussels, police arrested 213 people.

That evening, a tragedy occurred in Montpélier, France, where a 14-year-old boy was hit by a car. This was not a simple case of distracted driving. A gang of Moroccans had surrounded the car; when someone tore the French flag from the window, the driver accelerated abruptly and hit the teenager.

Many other cities saw violent incidents. In the Netherlands, police in riot gear had to restore order in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht after Morocco’s victory over Canada on December 1. Less than 10 people were arrested.

Causeur magazine summed up the violent riots as a “real clash of civilizations.” We at the Trumpet agree. But we must add that this clash was even more significant than most think.

Since the beginning of the migrant crisis in 2015, a wave of delinquency and crime has swept through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden and many other European nations. Those in power refuse to deal with the situation; more and more Europeans desire a strong leader who will deal with it.

In his article “The Holy Roman Empire Goes Public—Big Time!”, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry noted an inconvenient but inescapable truth, writing:

A trend is unfolding in Europe that you should keep a close watch on. Europeans have been besieged by immigrants from the Middle East, growing Muslim populations within their midst, cityscapes filling with mosques and minarets, portions of their cities turning into Muslim enclaves that local police dare not enter, even Islamic terrorist attacks. …

Bible prophecy makes clear: Soon, Europeans will get exactly what they are asking for, another Charlemagne-type leader. This man will come to power and set himself up as a strongman over all Europe. He will effectively hijack the European Union!

The Trumpet often points out that this leader will come to power in the context of a prophesied clash that will pit Europe against the Islamic world, with Iran at its head. This clash will first be cultural but later will become military. Daniel 11:40 describes this “clash of civilizations” as follows: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south [radical Islam with Iran as its head] push at him: and the king of the north [Europe] shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.”

Of course, the violence during the World Cup will not immediately trigger a war. Instead, it shows that this trend will continue until a strong leader takes charge, attacks Iran “like a whirlwind,” and again plunges the world into war.

Get the full picture of this prophesied clash of civilizations by reading our free booklet A Strong German Leader Is Imminent, by Gerald Flurry.