There were 3 stabbings, 2 assaults on police officers and 261 arrests yet the event will happen next year. If it was a football match the 2 sets of fans involved would receive some kind of restrictions, likely a travel ban for the next meeting. Discuss.
Well I suppose if a football match was a once a year event, which lasted two days, attracted crowds in the hundred thousands, and was open to all, then yes there probably would be some sort of comparison. Since thats evidently not the case then can't see your point.
Ok then, take any 2 Man Utd home fixtures across the whole season attracting 150,000. Does that work for you?
I'm with Bum Face on this one. Football is one of the safest events to attend, yet we're treat like criminals, especially compared to other events.
No they are still much shorter, ticketed events, held in stadia, and therefore easier to steward and police. I'm not disputing that football fans are often targeted for no good reason, but I dont think a comparison to people attending a once a year free event is valid.
You could argue that the over policing and excessive restrictions are what makes football safer than other events.
Are there any police free professional football games in this country? I certainly have never been to one.
They've had several at the KC, and I've forgotten the figures, but many* Prem games are Police free. *EDIT I can't remember where I read it and couldn't find it quickly on google, so I'll stand corrected if that's wrong or exaggerated.
I'll admit I don't know enough about it to argue either way! I can't remember going to any games without a police presence but then again its not something I really take notice of, so may well have done.
I don't think any Premier League games have no policing, but some do have a policy of not having a visible police presence within the ground, which is the way it should be done. Even Man United, with the biggest attendance in the league, adopt this approach(with the possible exception of Man City/Liverpool games). The Scottish FA ran a trial last year and the Scotland v Estonia international had no police in attendance at all, absolutely nothing happened(apart from a game of football obviously).
Is Notting Hill carnival full of hipsters? I imagine it is. Talking of hipsters, I had some lunch yesterday in Thieving Harry's on the marina, and it is a hipster's paradise. Every other bloke had a big bushy beard and a sleeve tattoo. All the women had purple hair and ear plugs. Hipsters.
Every year Ladies Day has more arrests at an event with 14,000 than in a full season of City games attended by 450,000+. Football is a major concern whilst Ladies Day is described by the police as a wonderful, friendly day. No restrictions there, no filming of all and sundry.
I've a feeling what I read was similar to the linked article from 2012. I'm not sure how they got the figure or if I'm reading it wrong but they claim "There was no police presence at 53 per cent of all matches last season, in which officers did not have to make an arrest at 74 per cent of matches." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2233435/Home-Office-confirms-Football-related-arrests-24-cent.html
I don't think anyone uses the word hipster anymore. Apart from describing jeans, and purple hair is so last year.
