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Police Arrest 100 German Soccer Hooligans in Austria

DW staff (dc)June 9, 2008

Police on Sunday arrested 100 German hooligans in Klagenfurt, Austria for provoking Polish fans with Nazi-like slogans during Germany's European Championship match against Poland.

https://p.dw.com/p/EG2t
A soccer fan is detained by police after skirmishes between German and Polish fans in Klagenfurt
Police in Austria are on the lookout for so-called "risk" fansImage: AP

The two sets of fans had arrived in Klagenfurt to watch the Euro 2008 Group B game between Germany and Poland in the city's fan zone.

A police spokesperson told German news agency DPA that a group of 60 Germans started chanting right-wing slogans at a group of Polish fans, saying things such as "all Poles should wear a yellow star" -- an allusion to the yellow stars Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany.

The Germans were then surrounded and arrested.

Shortly after the match started, another group of 40 German hooligans attempted to provoke the Polish fans again. They too were arrested.

Police said the hooligans would be charge with causing a nuisance and deported.

The Austrian Press Agency reported that several German and Polish fans had also engaged in physical clashes in the fan zone after Germany took a 1-0 lead. Germany won the game 2-0.

On Saturday, police arrested 17 people, but nine of these had been released on Sunday.

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