The first day of the trial against the rioting AZ supporters was full of emotion and regrets. Most of the suspects have been detained for more than two weeks, miss the home front and some are afraid of losing their jobs. “I just want to go home to my children,” one of them declared.
High community service orders and stadium bans for AZ rioters – NH News
Fierce AZ supporters stormed the main stand after the elimination of their club on May 18. A fence was knocked down with great violence, after which rioters clashed with opposing supporters. In addition to West Ham supporters, family members of the players were also sitting there watching the game.
The suspects who had to appear before the police judge today were charged with open violence against stewards and spectators. Some of them have also been prosecuted for assaulting an riot police officer.
According to the seven, which is next to one imprisonment and community service also a stadium ban of one year get, all the violence was related to “provocations from the main stand”.
‘If only I had drunk more’
Yet the 37-year-old Alkmaarder SZ never expected that he would ever do this. “The tension and emotions of the elimination, the cheering, jumping and waving of a flag by West Ham fans: I was sucked into it. That resulted in anger,” he tells the judge.
He therefore apologizes to the Englishman whom he hit hard on the head and back several times. “In addition, I have shamed my club and my family. I guess I had about eight beers. If only I had drunk more, I would not have been able to do this.”
“We were challenged throughout the game,” says TS (38) from Heerhugowaard, who hit an Englishman and kicked him hard in the back. “They threw beer and put up an English flag. When there was a goal and we lost, the whole box jumped. I was very angry.”
“Isn’t that a normal reaction if you win?”, the judge asks him. “No”, replies TS, “you don’t. It was all out of anger and sadness. Wrong time, wrong place. I’m sorry and ashamed.”
‘Club embarrassed’
TS is reproached that the media has ‘beaten up’ the story. “I don’t want anything to do with those media,” he says angrily. He doesn’t know if he will have a job in the future. “I’ve had to take unpaid leave. This could cost me my job.”
“There was great national and international outrage about the violence,” the public prosecutor responds. “These suspects have completely embarrassed themselves and their club.”
Such an ‘explosion of violence’ in a stadium has not happened for a long time, says the judge. “Two hundred members of AZ were involved in this. Spectators and riot police were beaten with belts and fists. Women and children were also in the stands. West Ham players even got involved to protect their relatives.”
FP (32) from Alkmaar kicked an riot police officer. After spending thirteen days in jail, he wants to go home. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I really regret it. In an emotion, with the loss and a beer, this happened. I’ve been stuck for two weeks now and I’ve never had it so hard in my life.”
Invasion of privacy?
Then he can’t take it anymore. He wipes away his tears with the collar of his black polo. “It hurts me a lot, sitting for two weeks over such a stupid thing. I miss my daughter and want to go back to work.”
That at an early stage, five days after the riots, it was already decided to Discovery Requested to enable, finds Councilor Visser, the lawyer of several AZ supporters, striking. Also that they were only given a short time to turn themselves in. “The smallest possible invasion of privacy must be chosen. Why were the photos not blurred? Why were suspects not given the chance to recognize themselves first? This leads to irreparable social damage.”
He also finds the platform, national television, strange. “It concerns people from Alkmaar and the surrounding area. That could also have been done very well on local TV,” he says. “There seems to be a lot of emotion among the police. At the end of the evening, zero people were arrested. With old-fashioned detective work we could have just seen who was walking around. That takes more time, but prevents an irreversible invasion of privacy.”
Silence after the storm
That rush was mainly due to the next big match against PSV, the following Sunday. “For public order, we wanted to prevent these suspects from being present at that match. A blurred photo would hardly contain any characteristic elements.”
In addition, supporters of Feyenoord, Volendam, Cambuur and Belgian football fans were also present. “It was not inconceivable that one of the suspects would come from somewhere else.”
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