A claw hammer and blood on the asphalt are the symbols of the European football championship taking place in Germany. What for many Germans should be a summer fairy tale, crowned by the victory of their national team, began as a story of violence while the alert for jihadist terrorism remains high.
It is the metaphor of a Europe pervaded by rising political and social tensions yesterday in Hamburg, a few hours before the kick-off of the match between Poland and the Netherlands, the police intervened in force in the Reeperbahn, where the brothels and night clubs. Near Silbersackstraße, a man armed with an ice ax and a Molotov cocktail was wandering around. He was a 39-year-old German from Buchholz and perhaps schizophrenic, who the officers attempted to stop by exploding a gunshot in the air as a warning. The man put the ice ax on the ground, but attempted to set fire to the incendiary cocktail he had with him, according to the police to throw it at the fans. An undercover policeman shot again and wounded the 39-year-old in the leg, who fell to the ground and was arrested.
According to the police, there is “no connection” between the events and Poland-the Netherlands. The relationship between football and violence was evident in Gelsenkirchen, again yesterday, before the match between Serbia and England. A high-risk match: the fans of both national teams are sadly known for the presence of violent people in their ranks. The police were prepared for a confrontation, but did not expect the explosion of violence that shook the Ruhr city. Serbian fans were calmly having lunch in a restaurant in the historic center when they were attacked by English hooligans. Kicks, fists, chairs and glasses flew, those who were already on the ground were also hit with bars. The police intervened, separating the opposing factions and arresting six fans, while at least two were injured on the asphalt.
A similar brawl was avoided in Dortmund, before Italy-Albania. The police in fact stopped 67 Azzurri fans, found in possession of the classic paraphernalia of the ultras: balaclavas, knives, screwdrivers and paper bombs. For those arrested and then released, the application of administrative measures such as the Daspo is evaluated. The blood-red ball of these Europeans had begun to roll in Wolmirstedt on June 14, before the opening match of the tournament between Germany and Scotland, tracing a trail that is of great concern. In the Saxony-Anhalt area, a 27-year-old Afghan killed a 23-year-old compatriot with a knife, then with the same weapon he seriously injured three of those present watching the match in the garden of a house, before being shot down gunshots from the police. According to investigators, “there are no indications of a religious motive.”
However, the alarm over jihadist attacks remains high. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISPK) has threatened to strike in Berlin, Munich and Dortmund.
According to Gerhard Conrad, former center head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) in Damascus and London, the ISPK “will at least try” to attack, for example with fragmentation grenades mounted on drones, in stadiums or public places where the crowds gather to follow the matches.
