Football fans must not patrol streets, says Arnhem mayor
Mayor Ahmed Marcouch says vigilantism has no place in a state governed by the rule of law, after supporters in several Dutch cities patrolled streets on Saturday against possible rioters.
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Arnhem mayor Ahmed Marcouch said on Monday that football supporters must leave action against possible rioters to the police. On Saturday, fans in several cities took to the streets as a kind of citizen watch (burgerwacht).
Marcouch said keeping public order is a task for the police and other competent authorities. Vigilantism (eigenrichting), he said, does not fit in a state governed by the rule of law. He added that he understands residents care about their city and want to help keep it safe.
People who are worried about possible disturbances should report them to the police and not intervene themselves.Ahmed Marcouch, mayor of Arnhem
Rijnfront, the hard core of Vitesse supporters, called on Saturday for “protection” of Arnhem. It was responding to messages in messaging groups urging young people to cause unrest in several Dutch cities under the banner of “Gen Z protests”. Supporters of ADO Den Haag and MVV (Maastricht) made similar calls for their cities.
In its announcement, Rijnfront wrote: “To anyone who thinks they can come to Arnhem tomorrow to wreck our city centre and scare our businesses: we will welcome you with open arms! Keep away from our city.”
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Rijnfront
Rijnfront is the hard core (harde kern) of supporters of Vitesse, the football club based in Arnhem. It is an organised group of the club's most committed fans, who follow the team to matches and take part in supporter activities around them. In the Netherlands, supporter groups like this are closely watched by police and the municipality, especially around matches and when football fans are linked to public disorder.