June 16th 2024.
In a concerning incident captured on video, a group of England fans were seen causing mischief by crashing toy planes in Germany. This happened just before the Three Lions' first match of the Euro 2024 tournament against Serbia. The footage shows the supporters marching through the streets of Dusseldorf on two consecutive nights, despite warnings from the local police.
Peter Both, the chief of police in Gelsenkirchen, made a plea to the thousands of fans expected to gather in the city on game day. He urged them not to engage in any disruptive behavior, saying "Do not be a d**k!" However, the crowd seemed to disregard his appeal and continued to sing a xenophobic song that mocks the casualties suffered by Germany during World War Two. One video even showed a man standing on another's shoulders, holding a toy plane and pretending to crash it while shouting the lyrics.
Although singing about the Royal Air Force taking down German bombers is not considered a crime in Germany, there were concerns that this could lead to violence. This chant has been heard at several England matches in the past, including their recent friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. With an estimated 500,000 England fans expected to travel to Germany for the tournament, the issue of whether this song should be banned at football events has been hotly debated.
Miguel Berger, the German ambassador to the UK, expressed his opinion on the matter during an interview with LBC. He stated that fans should not "go and insult the host country" and stressed that it is a matter of basic respect. He also mentioned that there has been excellent cooperation between German and British police leading up to the tournament, but there are concerns about the potential behavior of Serbian fans during the England v Serbia match.
When asked if German police have indicated any concerns about security for the opening game, Berger clarified that the issues have arisen from the other side. He reassured that the necessary measures have been taken to avoid any unwanted incidents, thanks to the cooperation between the police forces of both countries.
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