The popular saying goes that great events cast their shadows ahead. And so you might think that the European Football Championship, which starts in just under three months in this country, is causing a lot of excitement. Since football continues to dominate the local sports scene, it would only be logical after the European Handball Championship that football would go one better. However, I notice that the euphoria among the fans is limited. I don’t know anyone in my area who has tried to get tickets so far. I too will view the continental championship with a certain degree of skepticism and distance. Certainly for me this is not only due to the disappointing performances and the external image of the national team, but also to the recently increasing aversion to everything that comes with associations and commercialization.
But who is obviously really keen on the European Championships and is getting ready for it is becoming clear week after week in and around the stadiums: the police.
How else can it be explained that Team Blue has been making a name for itself for many months with more and more cases of police violence and disproportionate actions? Seen last week in Braunschweig with a large number of injured people or in Hamburg-Bergedorf, where 600 HSV fans were held on a regional train under inhumane conditions for several hours just to establish personal details. And that because of an incident that is said to have occurred in Mannheim a few months ago. But it’s not just German football fans who have such experiences. Fans of France’s RC Lens, who were on their way to the Europa League game in Freiburg, were detained and checked for hours.
Obviously, immediately before the European Championships, the German police don’t just want to show the German fans who is in charge. She also wants to send a signal to fans in other European countries. However, this will not de-escalate now or later. If the German police want a harmonious European Championship, they must immediately abandon their policy of violence and repression.
“Sport free!” from the fan advocate.
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