Cvetković announces "crackdown" on hooliganism

PM Mirko Cvetkovic says that the government will crack down on all incidences of violence in the country in keeping with the law of the land. “We support the Interior Ministry in its struggle against all forms of violence and hooligans,“ Cvetkovic told the latest edition of the magazine Policija Danas (Police Today). Cvetkovic announces "crackdown" on hooliganism However, he said that it was important to stay mindful of the fact that the groups of young people involved were driven by a range of motives—from sports fans to those with political motivations. The prime minister stressed that everyone was entitled to freely express their opinion, but no-one had any right to commit violence, be it in the street, in the family or at sports stadiums. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said that MUP officials would be meeting next week with officials from the prosecution and Justice Ministry to discuss a ban on certain supporters’ groups attending football matches, stressing that it was necessary to draw a line between genuine fans and hooligans. Dacic said that the prosecution needed to define exactly what it wanted to outlaw here: impose a ban on assemblies in the city and organized trips to matches, or outlaw these groups altogether and their presence at matches. The minister said he could not go into any more detail for now, and that the matter would be discussed further in the coming days. “What’s most important is to draw a line between fans and those who are involved in violence, hooliganism and crime,“ he stressed. According to Dacic, the police had nothing against fans and supporters’ groups as long as they did not “break the law, destroy property, commit crimes, resort to violence, murder...“ The minister added that “some of the information published in the media on that issue has been excessively broad,“explaining that no-one had any plans to empty the “North“ and “South“, the stands housing the hard-core Red Star and Partizan fans at their respective stadia. Mirko Cvetkovic (FoNet, archive)

Cvetković announces "crackdown" on hooliganism

However, he said that it was important to stay mindful of the fact that the groups of young people involved were driven by a range of motives—from sports fans to those with political motivations.

The prime minister stressed that everyone was entitled to freely express their opinion, but no-one had any right to commit violence, be it in the street, in the family or at sports stadiums.

Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said that MUP officials would be meeting next week with officials from the prosecution and Justice Ministry to discuss a ban on certain supporters’ groups attending football matches, stressing that it was necessary to draw a line between genuine fans and hooligans.

Dačić said that the prosecution needed to define exactly what it wanted to outlaw here: impose a ban on assemblies in the city and organized trips to matches, or outlaw these groups altogether and their presence at matches.

The minister said he could not go into any more detail for now, and that the matter would be discussed further in the coming days.

“What’s most important is to draw a line between fans and those who are involved in violence, hooliganism and crime,“ he stressed.

According to Dačić, the police had nothing against fans and supporters’ groups as long as they did not “break the law, destroy property, commit crimes, resort to violence, murder...“

The minister added that “some of the information published in the media on that issue has been excessively broad,“explaining that no-one had any plans to empty the “North“ and “South“, the stands housing the hard-core Red Star and Partizan fans at their respective stadia.