EM 2024 - Stadium climber faces heavy fine after police operation in Dortmund
The Dortmund stadium climber from Dortmund may have to pay for the police operation triggered by him. This is possible due to a fee regulation that the state of North Rhine-Westphalia introduced last summer. "The Dortmund police station is currently checking if costs can be calculated in this case," a spokesperson told the German Press Agency in response to an inquiry. NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul finds this consistent.
During the German quarterfinals at the European Football Championship against Denmark (2:0) on a Saturday evening, a man from Osnabrück was spotted on the roof of the Dortmund stadium. The police monitored him until the end of the game, and a special operations team eventually rescued the 21-year-old from the roof construction.
Deterrent to copycats at the EM
The day after the incident, the police reported that the young man "wanted to take photos, like at other places in Germany," on the roof of the stadium. "At no point was there a danger to other people in the stadium," the investigators said. They currently exclude a political motivation. The events had no concrete impact on the course of the game or the departure after the match.
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia introduced a fee regulation in August in the context of the debate about police costs for so-called climate protesters. Among the scenarios covered are "the rescue or retrieval of persons, if the triggering danger was deliberately or grossly negligently caused by them." Charges are calculated based on time and effort, and fees can reach up to 50,000 Euros.
NRW Interior Minister Reul told the dpa: "The event organizer is responsible for the security concept in the stadiums. The stadium roof climber is not the first security-relevant incident in a stadium during this EM and has shown that we need to look more closely. I welcome the fact that the UEFA has now decided to put the concepts to the test."
Reul emphasized: "I have no understanding for the fact that the 21-year-old climbed the stadium roof for a few photos and brief fame in social media. The man not only put himself in danger but also endangered the response teams. I consider it absolutely consistent and correct to check if the costs of the intervention can be invoiced to him. This deters copycats and makes such a senseless action less attractive."
- Despite the incident at the Dortmund stadium during the European Football Championship match against Denmark, where a man from Osnabrück climbed the stadium roof, the game proceeded without any significant disruption.
- Following the incident in Dortmund during the EM, North Rhine-Westphalia's fee regulation, introduced last summer, could potentially require the climber to cover the costs of the police operation.
- The police operation in Dortmund, triggered by the stadium climber, is currently being reviewed by the Dortmund police station, in line with the fee regulation established in North Rhine-Westphalia for such incidents.
- NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul has expressed his support for this measure, advocating that those who endanger public safety and response teams should be held accountable for the costs associated with their actions, acting as a deterrent to similar incidents throughout Europe, including at other stadiums in North Rhine-Westphalia.
