Hooliganism will not pass!

Two serious news items took place last weekend in Valais and Lausanne. The first could appear ultimately grotesque, but the second is not at all funny. Taken together, they unfortunately reveal a detestable state of mind, deserve condemnation and demand exemplary sanctions. At a time when France is on fire – perhaps giving ideas to sinister simpletons here – it is appropriate to react firmly and quickly. Hooliganism will not pass.

The first episode took place on Sunday. Banned from the stadium in Sion, the Lausanne-Sport ultras still made the trip, by simply buying a train ticket and accessing Tourbillon by bypassing the closed visitors’ stand. And this thanks to tickets provided by… the ultras of FC Sion! We think we’re dreaming. The authorities were satisfied, the job done: measures taken in advance, no special train, visitors’ stand sealed off. Finally, the ultras thumbed their noses at the system. By acting – it must be admitted – in a rather shrewd manner. Because the authority, if you have a valid train ticket and a paid grandstand ticket, no longer knows what to say.

So the same question always arises: why was this possible? We will be told as usual that the risk has been assessed. That a discreet presence of the police was required and that there was no need to be provocative and inflame the situation. Okay. But the provocation came from the ultras and the others remained shocked and stunned. All this is a clear failure of order to enforce and gives hope (!) to the ultras of doing better and stronger another time. Exactly what we don’t want. Still happy that things did not get out of hand last Sunday in Sion.

The second episode took place at the Malley ice rink and the station of the same name on Saturday evening after the LHC-Gottéron match. Inside the rink, Plexiglas, chairs and advertising panels were broken. On a video, we see a poor security guard alone facing idiots who like to fight and break, provoke, insult. It’s just unbearable. Obviously, the police were outside (and did not have the idea of ​​entering), probably to supervise the exit of the excited people. But the police outside were unable to prevent Dragons ultras from molesting two people, seriously injuring them. Even if everything goes quickly and it is impossible to monitor everything, we wonder about the system and the instructions. Now is not the time to blame the police, but the troublemakers.

Now a question arises about the general way of managing these problems of violence in Switzerland, where we love to form working groups, inventing programs and concepts by giving them pretty names often ending in “o” (Progresso, Definitivo, Rapido, Dialogo, Rigolo…). We make lists, we identify actions, we bring together partners, we dialogue, we meet again, we decide perhaps and in the end, we no longer know why we did all this.

Meanwhile, violence continues, increases and has no rules other than those of chaos and destruction, often material and sometimes human. Ultimately, the only response to this is to make the troublemakers want to start again and to talk to them in the only way they seem to be able to understand.