I know we promised some more upbeat stories today, but this one came across the desk, and, well, it bears telling. In Bundesliga play this past Saturday, Werder Bremen and Bochum drew 0-0. I know, not especially noteworthy except for the fact that some Neo Nazis unfurled political banners. The perpetrators were promptly arrested after being fingered by other fans.I hate to ascribe intelligent, cogent thought to Neo Nazis, but Saturday was November 9, a day of historical significance for Germany. So much so, the Germans call it Schicksaltag. A day that marks two significant Nazi landmarks--the Beer Hall Putsch and Kristallnacht. It also is the same date that the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.
Bremen officials are banning the offenders thankfully. And, hopefully, we'll have more uplifting stories for the rest of the day.
Full marks to the fans and police for doing something about it.
ReplyDeleteI was at an away game some seasons ago (I think at Bolton) and fans of my own team were hurling racist abuse at the opposing players - and of course ignoring the fact that a good section of our own squad is of a darker skin tone.
I reported them to the club when I returned home - tickets are allocated by the club and I provided seat numbers and descriptions. Surprise - nothing was done. Not a thing.
And this from a club that very recently prior to this had smothered itself in the reflected glory of proclaiming itself a major supporter of the Show Racism the Red Card scheme. Hypocrites.