The Dark Heart of Eastern Europe: Applying Britain’s Tactics to Combat Football-Related Violence and Racism

Abstract

In the summer of 2012, Poland and Ukraine co-hosted the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. A week before the tournament began, the BBC’s investigative journalism program, Panorama, aired its documentary highlighting pervasive violence, racism and anti-Semitism in the football stadiums in both these nations. Violent and racist football hooliganism is not a new phenomenon in Europe, but the images and interviews shown in the documentary shocked Europe as hundreds of thousands fans from all over the continent prepared to travel to Eastern Europe for the Euro 2012 tournament.During Euro 2012, media scrutiny of any incidences of racist and violent fan behavior was intensified, putting the governments of Poland and Ukraine on the defensive. The Polish and Ukrainian hooligan problem closely mirrors Britain’s history of football-related violence, reaching its peak in the 1970’s and 1980’s and known throughout Europe as ‘the English Disease.’ This article explores the history of European football hooliganism and its proliferation in Eastern Europe. Using the British response to hooliganism as a model, this article proposes that Poland and Ukraine should adopt similar measures to curb its growing problem of violent and racist football fans. Specifically this article argues that Poland and Ukraine should institute: (1) travel bans and banning orders for fans convicted of football-related criminal offenses; (2) strict speech restrictions to criminalize hate speech and speech that incites violence; and (3) modern policing tactics to lessen tensions between law enforcement and football supporters and better control large crowds. By implementing these three measures, the Polish and Ukrainian governments would be better equipped to handle instances of crowd disturbances and punish individuals convicted of football-related violence and racism.Part I of the article lays the foundation for the three proposals and presents: (1) a brief history of hooliganism in Britain and Eastern Europe; (2) the current governing structure in European football responsible for policing and monitoring football-related violence; (3) the relevant penal code provisions applicable to football-related violence and racism in Poland and Ukraine; and (4) the British legal framework established in response to organized and violent hooligan groups. In Part II, the article explains the use of travel bans and banning orders for individuals convicted of football-related violence and argues that implementing bans would be beneficial to prevent offenders from attending football matches and causing disorder in Poland and Ukraine. Part III discusses the regulation of hate speech and speech intended to incite violence at football matches and argues for implementation of statutes based on Scottish legislation to fight the increasing presence of racism and anti-Semitism at football grounds. Finally, in Part IV, the article argues for developing modern policing tactics concentrated on relieving tensions and conflict between police and supporters would be effective in Poland and Ukraine.