"Ban could target football hooligan groups too"

Daily Danas writes that the Constitutional Court could be asked to ban football hooligan groups as well as ultra right-wing and nationalist groups. The Justice Ministry and Public Prosecution have launched an initiative to ban extreme right-wing groups. "Ban could target football hooligan groups too" According to the daily’s sources, the police are expected to complete reports on all organizations and groups that support and call for violations of human rights and the Constitution by Friday. Danas writes that there will be an analysis of those who have been arrested, what organizations they are members of, before an initiative is submitted to the Constitutional Court to outlaw their work. Former Interior Minister Bozo Prelevic says that as far as the prohibition of such groups was concerned, the state must proceed with care, because the point was to control the organizations, and not just force them to change their names. “Nothing will be achieved if the only result is that, for example, Nacionalni Stroj changes its name to Srpski Stroj. Police need to study these organizations—to check if they are registered, who is financing them, and whether they have ties to political parties, how decisions are made, and who the members of these organizations are,” he says. “It’s vital to react on time and let them know that they are not being protected by anyone, and not to just apply sanction policies,” Prelevic stresses. As far as hooligan groups were concerned, the former minister says that the sports clubs themselves support them and that many politicians, police officers and prosecutors sit on the boards of these clubs. He says that whenever an incident occurs, the police should arrest and prosecute as many hooligans as possible, because if 1,000 hooligans participate in an incident and only one is prosecuted, the other 999 will continue to believe that they will escape punishment next time around too.

"Ban could target football hooligan groups too"

According to the daily’s sources, the police are expected to complete reports on all organizations and groups that support and call for violations of human rights and the Constitution by Friday.

Danas writes that there will be an analysis of those who have been arrested, what organizations they are members of, before an initiative is submitted to the Constitutional Court to outlaw their work.

Former Interior Minister Božo Prelević says that as far as the prohibition of such groups was concerned, the state must proceed with care, because the point was to control the organizations, and not just force them to change their names.

“Nothing will be achieved if the only result is that, for example, Nacionalni Stroj changes its name to Srpski Stroj. Police need to study these organizations—to check if they are registered, who is financing them, and whether they have ties to political parties, how decisions are made, and who the members of these organizations are,” he says.

“It’s vital to react on time and let them know that they are not being protected by anyone, and not to just apply sanction policies,” Prelević stresses.

As far as hooligan groups were concerned, the former minister says that the sports clubs themselves support them and that many politicians, police officers and prosecutors sit on the boards of these clubs.

He says that whenever an incident occurs, the police should arrest and prosecute as many hooligans as possible, because if 1,000 hooligans participate in an incident and only one is prosecuted, the other 999 will continue to believe that they will escape punishment next time around too.