A violent clash erupted between England and Serbia supporters this afternoon in Gelsenkirchen, leading to a swift response from the authorities. Armed officers swarmed Weberstrasse as chaos unfolded with furniture flying.
Amid the turmoil, Mirror reporter Andy Lines said he spotted no fewer than 22 police vans converging on the scene, with officers dashing past him in the direction of the station. Meanwhile, England fans at the Post Hornchun pub continued their chants, seemingly unfazed by the commotion outside.
An eyewitness recounted: “It was nasty but small fight. But it ended up with a chase before the police finally calmed it.” Local elderly residents looked on in confusion from their apartments as the skirmish raged on.
According to an English police source, the trouble was sparked by England supporters initiating an attack on Serbian fans, who then retaliated, reports the Mirror. A supporter from Birmingham found himself in the thick of it, suffering a head injury that bled profusely as he was escorted away by medical staff, declining to disclose his identity to the police.
This incident involving England and Serbia fans unfolded shortly after Hamburg law enforcement neutralised a man reported to be wielding an “axe-like object” and a “Molotov cocktail” ahead of the city’s inaugural match of the tournament. Hamburg’s police detailed that the armed man posed a threat to officers and, upon his refusal to relinquish the Molotov cocktail, was shot in the leg.
This confrontation occurred near the fan park in St Pauli, roughly two and a half hours before the Netherlands were set to play Poland at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion. A statement from the Hamburg police force read: “According to current findings, a man came out of a locality around 1230pm (CET) and threatened police forces with a pickaxe/axe-like object. He was asked by them to drop this item.”
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“He also threatened the police officers with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, which he did not drop despite being asked and continued to walk towards the officers.” “The police then used their service weapon and shot him in the leg. This prevented further attacks and no emergency services or other bystanders were injured.”
“The police officers immediately provided first aid, which was continued a short time later by medical personnel. The man is currently receiving further care in a hospital.” Pictures on social media had earlier shown thousands of Netherlands supporters in the city enjoying the build-up to the Group D opener.
The incident reportedly took place near to where a large crowd of Dutch supporters were gathered, however the police could not say whether the fans were being targeted. “A football connection cannot currently be determined, nor are there currently any insights into other motivations,” Hamburg police added.
