The end to violence in the fields? "We will focus on the rioting handful" | Israel today

The Premier League will kick off this Saturday, and hundreds of thousands of soccer fans will come to the stadiums to cheer on their teams.

But this season there is one significant change.

The law to prevent violence in sports passed the Knesset before it was dissolved, and the meaning is that the police for the first time have extraordinary powers to catch criminals and prevent them from reaching the fields.

Now, all eyes are on the police.

There is a lot of power in the hands of the forces deployed in the fields, and this caused some concern among the fans.

Corporal Itzik Amir, head of the prevention of violence in sports in the police, tries to put things in order in an interview with "Israel Today" and clarifies: "We have been with the ministries of internal security, justice and sports for several months to improve legislation, in order to give significant tools to deal with that handful of fans.

We extended the authority.

In fact, a police officer can deport for 60 days after a field hearing, and a violation of the deportment order is already 150 days of deportment.

"This is significant. If there is suspicion of violence, it is a suspension for 180 days. Every suspended fan will have to report to the police station while the team he is a fan of is playing. If he does not report, his picture will be distributed in the fields and he will not be allowed to enter. This is a serious criminal offense."

Watch: The enforcement actions at the soccer fields // Credit: Courtesy of the police

How many fans have already been sent off just in the Toto Cup games?

"15 fans were expelled by the court, two of them for the entire season. These are fans who entered under the pretext of security guards with a dummy plastic gun. The rest were expelled for other offenses."

Like everything, there is also a problem.

Fans fear that they will be removed for doing no wrong.

"Until now, the fans have been sent off for throwing objects onto the pitch, not for nothing. Like any procedure, when you want to challenge a police officer's decision, you can go to court. It's a procedure where you'll have to get evidence and all that comes with it. These are offenses we all don't want to see on the pitches." .

What about administrative fines?

"We all hope that there will also be legislation on the level of fines. After the fines were recognized as a punishment for a criminal offense even after the Knesset was dissolved, it remains for us to pass the fines in the Constitution Committee in the Knesset. We will do this precisely against the handful who throw objects on the grass, flares. These are the cases for which fines will be given. No We will go into the stands to give a fine, but we will wait until halftime or the end of the game or the rest."

Amir.

In favor of cold pyrotechnics, Photo: Photo: Police spokespersons

How will you prevent the introduction of flares or pyrotechnic devices?

"This week we will go to Germany, the police, the government ministries and the heads of the stadiums, to see the networks with them. We will try to do an initial pilot in Bloomfield and allow it to be deployed according to a decision. There are magnetometer gates that will locate AMLAH.

This will make it difficult for fans to insert flares.

This is a dangerous tool that can hurt.

"We are in favor of cold pyrotechnics with an arrangement between the club and the fans in the corner of the stadium. In any case, flares and uncontrolled pyrotechnics harm health and safety. These are events that can end very badly."

"Entering the stand? Only when there is danger to the public"

Israel is one of the few in Europe where police officers can still enter the stands due to what is defined in the "Concern for Public Peace" law.

But any officer in the field can interpret the law as he wishes.

In the State Cup final, police officers entered the Teddy stands and confiscated cheering drums for Maccabi Haifa fans.

The latter recently arrived in Greece and Cyprus and activated quite a few pyrotechnic devices in the stands, but the local police did not enter the stand at any point.

"The policy for entering the stands is that there is a director of a civil event. He asks for assistance, we respond if we see that he is not in control of the situation," explains corporal Amir and adds: "If a flare is thrown, we will not enter the stands but will come to account at the end of the game.

If there is a danger to public safety, and I know there are 20 more smoke grenades or, God forbid, spray or something like that, it is certainly possible that we will enter the stand based on information we have.

Entering the stands is something we try to avoid."

"If there is a danger to public peace, we may enter the stands", photo: Ami Shoman

Did you refresh the subject of entering the stands?

Because in every stadium the procedures seem to be different.

"We held sports conferences in all the districts. We passed a clear policy, that entry into the stands is only if there is a very significant event that endangers public peace. I myself conveyed these messages unequivocally, it passed the Commissioner.

This is the policy.

We improved the level of cameras in the stands.

We use photographers, mobile cameras, means that are inside the audience itself, in an attempt to improve the ability to obtain evidence.

I hope that in the future there will be a smart fan card, that in the case of a riotous fan, his card will be automatically blocked, but it is still a long way off.

From our point of view, most fans are law-abiding, and violence is off limits.

We will focus on the handful of rioters, we will take care of them and denounce them."

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