Sunday, June 14, 2015

Bosnia: Soccer fans protest ahead of match against Israel

The Times of Israel reports:

Hundreds of Bosnian soccer fans rioted outside a hotel where players of the Israeli National Team were staying ahead of a match against Bosnia in the Euro Cup qualifiers.

Bosnian fans lit flares and threw smoke grenades near the hotel in Zenica, according to a Ynet report. Bosnian police deployed hundreds of officers along the route from the hotel to the stadium ahead of the match, which begins at 9:45 p.m. Israel time (6:45 p.m. GMT). 

A picture posted to Facebook of the protest showed the Bosnian fans stepping on an Israeli flag, and a separate video shows the fans shouting “Palestine” during their march.

Special units from the Israel Police were cooperating with their Bosnian counterparts ahead of the match, dubbed “high risk” by officials.

A security official from the Bosnia-Herzegovina Football Federation, Adis Hajlovats, confirmed to the Turkish Anadolu Agency that Israeli players and administrators would be protected by special police during their time in the country. 

Video: Here.

In April 2015, Bosnian soccer fans waved Palestinian flags and chanted "Kill, kill, the Jews" prior to the Austria-Bosnia friendly in Vienna.

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