(street) row, disorder, clash, disturbance [noun] [het opstootje, de opstootjes] [‘op-stoot-ju’]

An
"opstootje"
is a physical confrontation between people. It is not
really a big fight but more a little row or relatively short
confrontation. You might read about "opstootjes" on a Friday night, at the football pitch or during events with a lot of visitors.
And if it’s not the adrenaline during a sport event, it is most likely
the alcohol that plays an important role. But I also remember being
part of an "opstootje" in the school playground when I was young 🙂

"Opstootje" is a diminutive, but "opstoot" is never really used (other
than in boxing, where it means "uppercut"). The base verb of which it
is derived is "stoten": to bump, knock hit or punch.
                                                                                     
Examples:
–"Ondanks de feeststemming en bovenmatige alcoholconsumptie na
de overwinning op Frankrijk, waren er slechts enkele opstootjes in het
centrum van de stad."
("Despite the festive atmosphere and excessive alcohol consumption
after the victory over France, there were only a few disturbances in
the city centre.")

– "De scheidsrechter hield de kaarten op zak en was in staat om de meeste opstootjes in de kiem te smoren."
("The referee did not pull out any cards and was able to prevent most
clashes from getting out of hand." Note that "de kaarten op zak houden"
is a bit of a football/soccer expression: "keep the cards in the
pocket". Literally the second part of the sentence translates to "to
nip the disturbances in the bud".)

– "Hé moet je kijken, volgens mij gaat het daar helemaal los!" – "Nee joh, het is maar een opstootje."
("Hey look at that, I think things are completely getting out of hand
over there!" – "No no, not at all, it is just a little row." Lit. "Hey,
you must look, I think it’s going complete loose over there." The use
of "joh" is informal and it takes some practise to know when you can
use it but it basically strengthens your statement.)

Related words:
– "De vechtpartij": fight.
– "Het geweld": violence.
– "De confrontatie": confrontation.
– "De botsing": the clash, collision.