Salute the Irish Heroes of Basle

**Beavis** · 16/10/2003, 11:32 PM

Yeah I thought there might have been a bit of a nazi thing going on with some fans.Firstly I couldn't understand why they had a problem with the Brits and secondly someone done a nazi salute out their car window and shouted 'Heil Hitler' at some irish lads on the footpath.I was thinking yeah we don't really care.

**gspain** · 17/10/2003, 8:00 AM

Saw no football issue but on friday night outside the McDonalds near the railway station a group of Davos hockey fans in distinctive yellow and blue colours were enjoying themselves and were good natured and well behaved when a group of thugs appeared from nowhere and accosted them. The police were on the scene in seconds and nothing happened.

Still much much worse happens every friday and saturday night oin O'Connell street.

**lopez** · 17/10/2003, 11:13 AM

When I was in Bern in 1985, there was mass brawl on the terraces (I've yet to see the game on TV but I was told that Philip Greene (??) was giving out about it being a sad day for Ireland - can anyone show some light on this). This started when a group of 'neo-nazis' came in with a the 'Butcher's Apron' shouting abuse at us. They weren't wearing Swiss colours, and then things died down as they moved down the side. Then they returned and all hell broke loose, and through their lack of numbers, ambulances were called to pick them up.

I was intrigued by two things. They wore no Swiss colours - just those sleeveless denim jackets that were popular with Germans during the eighties covered with German and England club (I saw Millwall on one) and 'three lions' cloth badges - and that Swiss fans refused to come to their aid. In fact I got the impression - Swiss fans carried on talking to us; the policeman on the pitch watching the fighting wasn't all that urgent in calling for back up -that the Swiss liked seeing them carted off to hospital.

Speaking to some left wing ultras in Neuchatel on Friday, they told me that Swiss clubs were generally leftist apart from Young Boys Bern and FC Basel. I think its unfortunate, but I urge you to reconsider your views on Switzerland. I was stuck in the Swiss end like many others without any problems, and it may well be that these ****s have no interest in their country. Without stating the obvious, try to travel in a group in future.

**Volltreffer** · 17/10/2003, 1:20 PM

Speaking to some left wing ultras in Neuchatel on Friday, they told me that Swiss clubs were generally leftist apart from Young Boys Bern and FC Basel.

FC Basel supporters are very mixed, there are also a lot of leftists, especially among the "secondos" (second-generation foreigners). Basel as a city is much more on the left than other Swiss cities (though the right wing is catching up here too).

**gunnerbar** · 17/10/2003, 5:48 PM

On our way back to our hotel, {the intercontinental} in Zurich on Sunday night about three in the morning, we noticed about 7-8 riot police firing what we presume were tear gas grenades or rubber bullets down a street. We couldn't see who the targets were. Anyway we got off the tram, and saw these two police cars speeding down towards this street. Someone then threw a bottle across the street under the car. I saw these guys and headed over to them. One was wearing a balaclava. Apparently they were with the Reclaim the Streets protest group. They told me that the police there often overreact and that there wouldn't be so much trouble if they didn't.

Now I suppose that this group would be considered left wing. Interesting that the other groups that were being talked about here were right wing subversives. Make what you will of this. From what I could gather, from what they were saying, is that this seems to happens on a fairly frequent basis.