Deployment of the federal police due to the football matches FC Schalke 04 – Hannover 96 and Rot Weiß Essen – KFC Uerdingen 05 – xtranews
On the occasion of today’s (March 19) football matches between FC Schalke 04 and Hannover 96 and Rot Weiß Essen and KFC Uerdingen 05, the federal police were on duty at the main train stations in Gelsenkirchen and Essen, among other places. There were two notable events.
During the arrival phase, around 11 a.m., railway employees reported that supporters of Hamburger SV were said to have committed several crimes in the RE 2 from Münster in the direction of Düsseldorf. This are are on the way to the Hamburger SV football match in Düsseldorf.
At the scheduled stop at Gelsenkirchen main station, the train driver of RE 2 refused to continue the journey because of massive damage and other crimes committed by the rioters from Hamburg. Among other things, football fans are said to have sprayed graffiti, urinated and started assault crimes on the train.
The approximately 150 rioting Hamburg football fans are said to have blocked the doors when they stopped at Gelsenkirchen’s main station and pulled the emergency brake several times. Despite being asked by the train staff, they are said to have refused to leave the train.
In order to prevent this group from meeting with fans of Schalke 04 and Hannover 96, federal police officers locked the doors of the said concession for a short time, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
After further police measures with the support of the forces of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the travelers were then able to use an arriving train on the opposite platform in the direction of Düsseldorf.
The RE 2 then had to be abandoned due to the considerable damage to property and contamination committed by the rioters and driven to a workshop in Münster.
Investigators will evaluate possible video recordings from the train and from the Gelsenkirchen main station to identify the perpetrators.
At 12:20 p.m., supporters of KFC Uerdingen 05 ignited pyrotechnics when they arrived at Essen Central Station. Here, too, the federal police will evaluate the video recordings of Essen main station and investigate suspects.
In the course of the return phase, around 5:15 p.m., football fans from Schalke 04 and KFC Uerdingen 05 in the RE 42 towards Mönchengladbach are said to have repeatedly violated the instructions of the train staff. Already at the stop in Mülheim’s main train station, they are said to have triggered the fire alarm system by smoking cigarettes. Since the football supporters in question are said to have shown themselves to be unreasonable and triggered the fire alarm system again, the train manager then excluded the groups in question from continuing the journey at the next stop, from Duisburg Central Station. These then have to continue their journey with the RB 33 a little later.
The supporters of Hamburger SV, who had already committed crimes on the way there, were accompanied on the way back by additional federal police officers who had been specially requested.