It's ludicrous - like people getting 6 months after the London riots for taking a bottle of water. It sends a very serious, and worrying message to travelling fans who like to have a beer and a sing song though - if you convene in a large square and it all kicks off then God help you as you are pretty much at the mercy of the police and the courts whether you have or haven't done anything. It's spalshed all over the local TV and press that a few supporters from another country have caused trouble whilst everyone is going about their day to day business (even thugh half the time that's garbage) so they make an example regardless of whether or not local lads were involved. The other thing of course is that by its very nature such a situation is completely chaotic so, rightly or wrongly, the truth gives way to 20 or so different eye witness accounts and nobody is able to piece togther what exactly happened. I'm sure we've all seen examples of it with our own eyes be it at a match or even just down the pub of a Friday night!
It's a small look at the future for the UK There are moves to eradicate the need for corroborating evidence in the courts meaning that a pigs word alone could send you to bumrape village
The police in Amsterdam and other part of the Netherlands have struggled for a long time to control Ajax thugs in particular, consequently they take the route of least resistance and that being discourage opposing fans from visiting the city. Manchester City and United fans have had a similar experience, not to many domestic fans. It is notable that no action was attempted against the thugs who attacked Celtic fans the night before the match. The intelligence gained would have shown such a large scale manoeuvre would be known to the police. Politically the Netherlands is much more right wing now and the courts are reflecting that.
Bollocks, A few ****s acted like fannies, the evidence odiously suggests so. Jail terms seem very harsh but its unlikely these will be imposed after the appeals.
The evidence was basically the police statements...and the video of a van blocking a view of police being assaulted Video evidence collected by defence wasn't allowed...neither were their witnesses Polis chief was involved so this has been done to stop him officially being called a liar imo
It wasn't the lawyer that discounted the evidence Thomas. It was the judge. The lawyer pressed for its inclusion. It would seem eminently sensible to include it.... But the judge decided not to.
This is not like Celtic at all..... Re: Celtic statement FOLLOWING the court proceedings yesterday (Thursday) in Amsterdam, the club has issued the following statement. 'Clearly we are fully aware of events yesterday in Amsterdam. Celtic has always said it does not condone any form of violent or offensive behaviour. If any person connected to Celtic FC is identified as being involved in such behaviour, then clearly we would always take the appropriate action. However, it is very important that the legal process is allowed to run its course and therefore we cannot make any further comment on these specific cases until any appeals have been heard and this process is complete. As we have also stressed before, it is very clear that events in Amsterdam have raised a number of questions. Separately, therefore, the Club can confirm that it is continuing to work on behalf of our supporters with our Dutch legal representative in relation to supporters’ complaints. We have received numerous written complaints from fans regarding their treatment in Amsterdam and the lawyer we have engaged is currently reviewing these in order to assess whether they can be taken further through the legal system in Holland. We believe these to be credible complaints, with substance and therefore deserve further investigation. We would like to re-iterate that the Club is proud of the fantastic reputation which our supporters have earned. It is a reputation which we cherish and we will do all
You would have made a good Dutch Judge, as he, too, didnt want to hear anything that may have proved these lads innocent of these charges.
Celtic say they will not ban Amsterdam five convicted of rioting until appeal is heard TWO of the five are season ticket holders at Parkhead and it is understood that Police Scotland will not apply for banning orders. CELTIC yesterday insisted they will take no action against the five fans convicted of rioting in Amsterdam while they appeal their convictions. The club have taken a hard line in banning convicted hooligans but want to wait until the Dutch appeal court verdict in two weeks’ time. It is understood Police Scotland will not apply for banning orders. Only two of the five are season ticket holders at Celtic Park. Padraig Mullan, 28, from Belfast, and Damian Dobbin, 23, from Hamilton, were sentenced to two months for punching police. Jozef Macpherson, 20, from Glasgow, was convicted of holding an officer by the neck and given one month. Andrew Vance, 21, and Thomas Kennedy, 30, both from Lanarkshire, were convicted of throwing cans and face six weeks each. All were freed pending their appeals. Yesterday the club said: “Celtic has always said it does not condone any form of violent or offensive behaviour. If any person connected to Celtic FC is identified as being involved in such behaviour, then clearly we would always take the appropriate action. “However, it is very important that the legal process is allowed to run its course and therefore we cannot make any further comment on these specific cases until any appeals have been heard and this process is complete.” Judge Jurgen Piena rejected the fans’ claims that undercover police had not identified themselves properly and feared they were under attack from Ajax casuals. He ruled officers had used violence but that it was not excessive in the circumstances. Last night fans’ lawyer Christian Visser said he believed their appeals would result in lighter sentences at the very least. He is angry that “police brutality wasn’t taken into account”. Visser said: “I am happy Andrew and Padraig are being released. But obviously I am disappointed about the outcome of the case. “The judge was very clear that the police reports were poor. “In the appeal we will have the chance to hear from witnesses and for more research to be done. Then we have the chance to set things straight.” UEFA have fined Ajax £16,690 for their supporters’ bad behaviour during their Champions League game in Glasgow. The Dutch club were accused of breaching the governing body’s disciplinary regulations for “crowd disturbances and throwing of objects” by their travelling fans. A number of the Dutch contingent disgraced themselves by ripping up seats at Parkhead and launching them into the home crowd. It marred a 2-1 win for Neil Lennon’s men in the Champions League and the ugly scenes soured a brilliant atmosphere. Ajax said they would continue to act to prevent misbehavior and punish those responsible (No arrests remember?) http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/celtic-say-not-ban-amsterdam-2841327
CELTC'S Dutch legal team are acting for 25 fans who claim violent police officers were to blame for the notorious Battle of Amsterdam, we can reveal. Jeroen Soeteman is investigating 25 written complaints and wading through hours of CCTV footage of violent clashes between Celtic fans and police. Soeteman, 39, says criminal charges could be brought against some officers for their actions during the riots before Celtic’s Champions League clash with Ajax earlier this month. The lawyer, a partner of Amsterdam-based firm Jebbink Soeteman, said: “There are many Celtic fans – up to now about 200 fans – who have contacted their club to send statements, to tell them they were harassed or assaulted by the police. “It’s possible to take the complaints forward in two different ways. “One can go to the Amsterdam police itself, who have a complaints commission. “The other possibility is that one could go to the chief public prosecutor and press charges to ask him to summon an individual police officer to appear in court as a suspect. “Out of those 200 complaints, Celtic have already handed over to me the first 25. “My law firm are now evaluating those complaints to see how we can assist the individual supporters.” There were 44 arrests – including 28 Celtic fans – ahead of Celtic’s game against Ajax in Amsterdam on November 6. Police said trouble flared when Ajax neds snatched a flag from Celtic fans. The atmosphere turned ugly, with bottles being hurled by both sides. Riot police arrived and were joined by dozens of plain clothes officers. Police claimed their officers were attacked but Celtic fans said Dutch hooligans and heavy-handed police tactics were at the root of the city centre violence. Five Celtic fans were handed jail terms after appearing in court in Amsterdam on Thursday. Padraig Mullan, 28, from Belfast, and Damian Dobbin, 23, from Hamilton, were sentenced to two months for punching police. Jozef Macpherson, 20, from Glasgow, was convicted of holding an officer by the neck and given one month. Andrew Vance, 21, and Thomas Kennedy, 30, both from Lanarkshire, were convicted of throwing cans and face six weeks each. All were freed pending their appeals in a fortnight. A sixth fan, 49-year-old John Quigley, was acquitted. Celtic have stressed that Soeteman’s work has no connection with those cases. Judge Jurgen Piena rejected fans’ claims undercover cops had not identified themselves properly and they feared they were under attack from Ajax casuals. He ruled police had used violence but that it was not excessive in the circumstances. But Soeteman says he has seven DVDs worth of footage which implicates officers. He said: “What we are trying to do is make a connection between what we see and what we read.” “To progress with individual complaints, we need to see if we can prove what happened. Therefore, we need witnesses as well as footage.“Afterwards, via ourselves or Celtic, the individual supporters will be contacted, perhaps to ask them to give more information if they can, or to ask them to verify something and then to discuss with them which step they wish to take. So if people have information I would be really glad if they contact either Celtic or me and send that information through.” He said he was unable to disclose any detailed information about the individual complaints. He said: “Celtic have asked me to give the evaluation of those first 25 complaints a high priority as they think it is very important that the complaints get to the desk of the right person as soon as possible.” Soeteman could press for a criminal case to be brought but it would need to be given the green light by Dutch prosecutors. He added: “What Celtic are looking for is the truth. “This can be found through statements of people who were there, who saw something, or if they took footage with their phones.” Celtic said: “We are continuing to work on behalf of our supporters with our Dutch legal representative in relation to supporters’ complaints. We have received numerous written complaints from fans regarding their treatment in Amsterdam and the lawyer we have engaged is currently reviewing these in order to assess whether they can be taken further through the legal system in Holland. “We believe these to be credible complaints, with substance and therefore deserve further investigation. “We would like to reiterate that the club is proud of the fantastic reputation which our supporters have earned. “It is a reputation which we cherish and we will do all we can to ensure that this is protected.”
