Posted on 06/24/2006 1:46:24 PM PDT by BenLurkin
STUTTGART (Reuters) - Riot police detained a group of around 100 rowdy England soccer fans in a square in the center of Stuttgart on Saturday after they had clashed with German fans, throwing bottles and chairs and trading punches.
Tens of thousands of English and German fans had gathered in the area, many drinking throughout the day, to watch Germany's 2-0 second-round World Cup win over Sweden on big screen TVs. Trouble broke out shortly after the end of the game.
England fans were in the city for their country's second-round match against Ecuador on Sunday.
Some 150 fans on both sides threw bottles and chairs before riot police moved into the area to separate them.
After an uneasy standoff and a brief lull, the two sets of fans again threw glass bottles at each other, prompting the riot police to move the German fans out of the area.
They then moved in to arrest the English supporters.
"Most of them will be arrested, because it's like a theater here, and if we don't arrest them there'll be trouble here all night," Stuttgart police spokesman Stefan Kielbach told reporters.
He said the trouble had been started by both sets of fans. Some German supporters were also seen being dragged away by riot police while one German man left the area with blood on his face.
VIOLENT HISTORY
The English have a long history of soccer-related violence but there has been little trouble in Germany so far, with only a small number of arrests for mostly drunken behavior or people trying to get into a stadium without a ticket.
However 122 people were detained in Stuttgart on Friday night for drunken and aggressive behavior and they are expected to be held until the game on Sunday has been played.
Under German law police can detain individuals for threatening behavior or if they suspect they are likely to commit a crime and it does not constitute a full arrest.
Earlier, Germany had beaten Sweden in Munich to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
And lost!
I'm encouraged to see that there's still some fight in this bunch!Now,how about directing it at our enemies?The Brits have stood at our sides through thick and through thin!!These Euro-Weenies had better get their act together!!!!!
Too bad a soccer game wasn't on offer.
Oh well, At least our guys don't fall apart in 50 seconds into the match like the invalid Owen.
Stuttgart is a quagmire. Time to declare victory and pull out.
LOL! So true.......So true.........
Feh. This is a normal day in Detroit.
We don't dare announce a timeline. The hooligans will just wait and then we will have REAL problems!
"I'm encouraged to see that there's still some fight in this bunch!Now,how about directing it at our enemies?The Brits have stood at our sides through thick and through thin!!These Euro-Weenies had better get their act together!!!!!" You say.
Interesting perspective which I share. They'll have violent anti WTO demonstrations and riots at the Frankfurt Airport years ago. They have lots of fight in them for any leftist, liberal, tree hugging, Hershey highway banging cause. But fight against Islamic terrorists who attack you repeatedly and think you to be an infidel? Now that is a conundrum to the German.
I hope argentina wins because nothing would make the world more angry. There would be a worldwide brawl
You might get akick out of this: http://members.tripod.com/~warlight/hooligans.html
You're so full of it.
The crime statistics if they were calculated in Germany as in the US would be far worse.
What flag it that? (red cross) English Hooligan flag?
In this crazy world it's nice to see that some things never change (soccer fans rioting)....LOL
I got mine at Sears for $19 bucks. Those, and my WWII British 1st Para "Blouse" mean that the panhandlers in Chicago don't bother.
That would be the Cross of St. George. England fans do not fly the Union Jack because Scotland and N. Ireland have their own soccer teams.
Stupid euros.
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