European Football Championship - Police: Crowd of people completely peaceful
Despite some fan disturbances, the Police in Dortmund are satisfied with the large-scale operation surrounding the EM-Semifinal match between Netherlands and England. The goal of enabling a safe football festival has been achieved, according to the Police chief of the operation, Achim Stankowitz. Over 100,000 mostly peaceful football fans had reportedly gathered in the city from Wednesday afternoon.
In their post-match balance, the Police spoke of one of the "greatest football operations of all time in Dortmund" - this time in a city entirely bathed in orange. According to Police reports, 100,000 fans took part in the Dutch fans' march from the city center to the stadium and Public Viewing. The Fan Zones in the city center and Westfalenpark were already full early on.
More than two dozen arrests due to fan altercations
There were numerous altercations between football fans in the city center before the game. A total of 26 arrests were registered immediately after the match. However, investigations into these incidents were ongoing. For instance, Dutch and English fan groups clashed in a bar and threw chairs and bottles. The Police also intervened in altercations between fan groups in two other locations.
The Police were promptly on the scene and managed to prevent further escalation, the Police chief explained. Most people remained completely peaceful, he added further. "It's hardly surprising that there are altercations at a few locations given the large crowd and the emotions during a football match."
- The EM-Semifinal match between Netherlands and England took place in Dortmund, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, England being one of the participating teams.
- Despite some fan disturbances, the Police in Dortmund praised the leisure activities of over 100,000 Soccer fans, primarily from the Netherlands, who visited the city for the European Football Championship (EM).
- Soccer fans from both the Netherlands and England engaged in several incidents of altercations in the city center before the game, leading to 26 arrests immediately post-match.
- The Police in Dortmund, who had a significant Big deployment for the European Football Championship, were commended for their quick response, preventing further escalation of the fan altercations.
- The Chief of the Police operation, Achim Stankowitz, acknowledged these incidents, attributing them to the large crowd and the emotions prevalent during a Soccer match, while commending the mostly peaceful behavior shown by Soccer fans throughout the event.
