Not all cops are bastards. To the vast majority, it’s a badge of honour rather than a job.
But just like the niche group of football fans that threaten to ruin things for all supporters, a minority of those in power within the police force have other ideas.
What should have been an amicable meeting between representatives from the Red and Black Bloc and NSW Police at Tuesday’s ‘nanny state’ inquiry took a vicious turn.
First, Assistant Commissioner Denis Clifford linked the behaviour of football fans to the Cronulla riots of 2005. Senator David Leyonhjelm then went into bat for the RBB, claiming “the police are not our masters, they are our servants and I think they should remember that”. And the grand finale to the worst conciliatory talks since Colombian officials negotiated for Pablo Escobar to build his own luxury prison: Police Association NSW president Scott Weber labelled Western Sydney Wanderers fans ‘grubs’.
This week was supposed to be about improving dialogue, bridging the gap between fans and police and finding a way to repair what has become a worryingly strained relationship.
This isn’t a fight about flares, it’s a fight about respect – currently a fight we, the fans, are losing. NSW Police demand respect but have done very little to earn it with the xenophobic attitudes on display this week.
An overwhelming stereotype has been created, one that sees football fans as the problem rather than the solution. The message on display this week is that the police are determined to adopt a one size fits all approach to football policing, using the few unruly supporters as the target of their strategy.
This minority should be treated as the exception rather than the rule. It’s clear that problems do exist in Australian fandom, as last week’s Sydney derby proved. It would be acceptable for police to adopt special measures for higher risk matches, but having 45 police officers patrolling Pirtek Stadium for Wanderers versus Perth on Sunday was simply a waste of tax payers’ money.
Perhaps the police were expecting an encore of Glory’s trip to Parramatta last season when they pepper sprayed a group of Wanderers fans, including a 13-year-old boy.
The siege mentality formed this week opens the door to the type of racial profiling that is still rife in nightclub culture.
It’s a mindset akin to UEFA president Michel Platini’s calls for a European police force to combat what he describes as a ‘rise in nationalism and extremism’.
The Frenchman has been pushing the policy since he was elected to his position in 2007, but has received minimal support.
In an interview with Newsweek, a member of Football Supporters Europe, Kevin Miles, slammed the decision.
“As a fans’ organisation we are much more in favour of spreading the best practice and keeping reactions in proportion, than in superficially attractive ideas like a European police force,” he said.
“There is often a big difference between sounding tough and delivering productive solutions. Far reaching measures which impact on the mass of fans have proven to be counter productive in the essential task of marginalising the very small numbers of perpetrators of violence.”
That all sounds pretty familiar.
Platini’s plan was also condemned by Paris’s deputy mayor for sports and tourism, Jean-Frnacois Martins, who claims “the evolution of the supporter business has changed” and “the way we have to approach these fans is different than it used to be.”
The general consensus across western Europe – with some countries in the east still burdened by heavy-handed tactics – is that a softer approach and self-policing is far more sustainable.
State Police across Australia clearly misunderstand football fans.
The war of words must cease, the fractures must be repaired and the FFA and all clubs must realise their duty in improving communication between the lines. The attack wasn’t just on the RBB, it was an attack on our game.
Punter
Guest
Haha, walk around Sydney & have a look yourself, you shouldn't believe everything the Herald Sun says.
Bondy
Guest
Interesting chart Punter isn't it, it still illustrates that AFL doesn't exist in NSW & QLD as a participation based sport ...
trenerry boy
Roar Rookie
I understand these ABS stats upset you, but it is not niche, niche is cribbage or croquet, at all levels, participation, membership, sponsorship and media coverage prove otherwise even in NSW and QLD. The heading "siege mentality " relates to yet another soccer article, can't you read !.
Punter
Guest
Yes they are!!!! Australia is the only country that follows AFL & yet half the country it's a niche sport. Yes Siege mentality.
trenerry boy
Roar Rookie
Yep, those places are not in Australia, LOL Extremely apt heading .... siege mentality !!
Punter
Guest
Not in Western Sydney, not in NSW & not in Qld.
trenerry boy
Roar Rookie
Sorry i got that wrong, more people born O/S in English and non English speaking countries attend Australian Rules matches than any other football code, AFL is but one league that plays Australian football. "Of the four main football codes, the highest attendance rate was reported for Australian Rules football for all three birthplaces; people born in Australia (19%), people born overseas in main English-speaking countries (12%) and people born overseas in other countries (5.8%)." http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4156.0.55.001Feature+Article1May%202009
trenerry boy
Roar Rookie
In fact more people born O/S in English and non English countries attend AFL matches than any other football codes in this country as both a % and total numbers- ABS stats verify it
Ara
Guest
No one has even mentioned the UGLY racism saga with Adam Goodes. I have been a Wanderer from day 1. This colours truly unites us all in Western Sydney. A very good example of multiculturalism at work. The child who was indiscriminately pepper sprayed by the Police is not behavior I expect to see in Australia. I know that childs family and i witnessed that incident. There was no provocation from that child. It seems that there is agenda to paint us Wanderers supporters as grubs. There is outrage in the community at the behavior of the police. The lady sitting next to me is an accountant, behind me are a couple of teachers and i have a high level management position. On away trips my 2 young children, my wife and I sit with the RBB. I have never felt threatened except at the behavior of the police. A suçcessful and multicultural Western Sydney must be a threat and it looks like a hidden agenda at play. As for those who commenting on this thread without attending an A League game obviously are part of that hidden agenda or have a bias against football.
marron
Roar Guru
Strange that you missed how leyonhjelm's ACAB comments were also taken out of context. I'm not apologist for him or dastyari either. I take it you read the submissions from Tsatsminas, Issa and the RBB as well.
DB
Guest
da da dum dum
DB
Guest
Well that's embarrassing for the author perhaps he should of waited for the release of the transcript before penning this. The reference to the Cronulla Riots wasn't a direct one but just an example of experience and how things can get out of hand. Leyonhelm is a sanctimonious pr!ck, at no point was Clifford trying to paint all supporters with the same brush or even impose tighter controls on supporters behaviour, but Leyonhelm doesn't care and was just pushing his own libertarian barrel . That ACAB jibe seriously? how old is he? Dont get me started on the sycophant Dastyari.
Perry Bridge
Guest
Bondy - what an odd musing. What other sports do you suspect of that they 'don't have a culture'??
josh
Guest
Couldn't be more wrong if you tried Bobbo, what is happening in one terrace of WSW is not simply a case of behave and you'll be left alone.
Realfootball
Guest
Just because something has been written down doesn't mean that there is any truth in it, of course. Written by whom, Towser, and why? As someone who works in the media I am deeply suspicious of this kind of unattributed, out of context quoting.
josh
Guest
I notice this attack on WSW fans co-incides with AFL's miserable attempts at trying to gain a foothold in Western Sydney...
marron
Roar Guru
I can think of one instance where the police were to blame for the situation. This was because they ignored the protocol already in place which had been working effectively. If they hadn't ignored it, they get their man still and there is no tension, no ugly scenes - and innocent kids don't get pepper sprayed (it's alright johnny. As long as YOU are innocent, you won't get in trouble.) But you are right. Police standing around doing nothing doesn't cause fans to fight or act like muppets. The question is, are 45 police needed when there is hardly ever any trouble and security know how to deal with most situations? You ask why anyone can't just go and watch the game - that's what people do. Hardly anything ever happens inside the stadium and when it does - whether it be a flare, or people on the seats when they shouldn't be - security can handle it. But for whatever reason, people see something that is different to what they are used to seeing - and see people creating something that does not need some higher authority to direct it or control it or keep it going - and there is a need to clamp down on it, get it looking like something they find acceptable.
josh
Guest
Sure is, he's the last Capo left from the normal 3.
josh
Guest
It's sad that this happened, every RBB member that I know of has a love of Copa90 that would see the 'no media' rule being left to the side, their derby videos are absolutely must see for any football fan. Hopefully they come back.
marron
Roar Guru
Interesting in light of this conversation that the copa90 team were prevented from filming in front of the RBB because security (no doubt under instruction from the SCG Trust) were concerned that this would incite the RBB to acts of violence.