Lazio fans pressing racism charges against A'dam mayor for banning them from Ajax match
Italian lawyer Giacomo Marini is filing charges against Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema on behalf of 500 Lazio fans. According to the Italian football fans, by banning them from attending the Europa League match between Ajax and Lazio in two weeks, Halsema is guilty of racism, discrimination, and causing economic damage, AT5 reports.
On Tuesday, Halsema announced that no Lazio supporters would be welcome at the Europa League match. The hard core of the Lazio fan base is known to be right-wing extremist, anti-Semitic, and racist and the risk of public order disturbances is, therefore, too great, Halsema said.
“The football match is taking place during a period of great tension in the city. The priority of the [office of mayor, police, and prosecutor] is to monitor and maintain public order, safety, and peace,” she said. UEFA and the police also classified the Ajax-Lazio match as a high-risk match.
But according to Marini, Halsema is discriminating against Lazio fans. “She cannot say in advance that the fans are dangerous people. So it is strange to forbid them to enter the stadium,” he told AT5 in a video call. “In Italy, we consider the Netherlands to be a friendly country.”
According to the broadcaster, Marini refused to comment on the fact that the Lazio supporters are known for their right-wing extremist, anti-Semitic, and racist statements. “As a lawyer, I do not want to judge that,” is all he would say on the matter.
Marjan Olfers, a professor of sports and law, thinks the charges have no chance of success, at least not under Dutch law. “Look, if it were an event organizer who decided that it cannot go ahead, then they might have a chance because you can hold them liable. But this is the mayor and this is really about a safety issue,” she said to AT5. “He is appealing to criminal law, but here in the Netherlands, it is in administrative law.”
