Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that police forces and organisers of mass events should step-up their level of cooperation.The comment comes as police on Tuesday had to deploy water cannons to bring hooligans under control after Legia Warsaw beat Lech Poznan during a cup final match attended by UEFA officials.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Tusk said that “today the symbiosis of club authorities and supporters’ associations, behind which hooligans often hide […], is a source of incapability as far as counteracting violence in stadiums is concerned.”
Donald Tusk informed that he has also made a joint decision with police authorities and state administration that spectators will not be allowed into matches “where the police is not certain that safety and order could be guaranteed.”
Harsh measures?“Covering faces [with scarves] should be treated as a crime,” PM Tusk mooted as one of the proposals for the legislative changes concerning stadium safety, with a fine incurred for such activity.
Donald also underlined, however, that one change to the law will not eliminate stadium violence, hence his proposal for complex changes, which are to be tackled by a team comprised of the Prosecutor General and representatives from the interior and justice ministries.
Prime Minister Tusk wants to avoid scenes like this one.“I am not naïve, nor do I believe that one brilliant law will stop violence and crime in Polish stadiums,” Tusk announced, adding that “nowhere in the world has this happened.”
“[However,] this does not free us from the obligation to find the best possible solutions,” the Prime Minister declared.
Bydgoszcz aftermathDonald Tusk added that the legislative team will not only look into the changes because of Tuesday’s match and the upcoming Euro 2012 championships, but because Polish stadiums should cease to be a place where “hooligans let their emotions run riot.”
On Tuesday, water cannons had to be deployed by police to disperse fans, who had invaded the pitch at the close of play, smashing barriers, tearing off seats and assaulting photographers.
Earlier this year, grave concerns about Poland’s forthcoming co-hosting of Euro 2012 were outlined by UEFA after Polish fans rioted in Kaunas following a friendly game with Lithuania.
The incident prompted international Euro 2012 director Martin Kallen to say that Poland has “a huge image problem” to tackle where hooliganism is concerned.
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thenews.pl, 6 May