Manchester Police forced to apologise to Stoke fans
Article published: Friday, February 13th 2009
A group of Stoke City fans have received a payout from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) after they were wrongly targeted under Section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act.
In November around 80 fans were forcibly removed from a pub and taken back to Stoke-On-Trent just hours before a game against Manchester United at Old Trafford. They missed the game despite no crime being committed. The group of men and women was held for hours by police under threat of arrest and later deprived of toilet facilities on the coach. Supporters were instructed to urinate into cups, which spilled on to the floor of the bus leaving fans sitting with urine sloshing around their feet for the entire journey home.
Only six of the 80 fans have received a ticket refund and an unreserved apology from the force after their case was taken up by the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) and human rights group Liberty. Amanda Jacks from the FSF said: “We feel their ordeal needs to be brought to a wider audience if only to flag up the power that police have, and just how willing GMP are to use it.” The Police have said that the 74 Stoke fans who have yet to be compensated were “risk supporters”, an evalution based on “intelligence” that they refuse to make public. However GMP have responded to all complaints received with an apology and a ticket refund. Asmar Chaudry of GMP said, “this speaks for itself”.
Forced Removal
At the time of the forced removal eye witnesses have said there was a pleasant atmosphere at the pub in Irlam with “no singing, shouting, or drunkenness”, a view backed by the pub landlord. Lyndon Edwards a 38-year-old Stoke fan told the FSF they travelled “by mini bus, rather than train, having previously had poor experiences of policing at Piccadilly station” and that all of his group were members of the Stoke Away Membership Scheme meaning they had been vetted by the police. In the interview Lyndon describes the behaviour of his fellow supporters in the pub as exemplary, or even boring. According to Edward’s account, one of the female members of the party began to get distraught at the action of the police. GMP showed no sympathy however, and an inspector, whose number was not displayed and who refused to give his name, told her that she “should know better than to mix with Stoke scum”.
Lyndon, who is now pursuing his complaint with the Independent Police Complaints Commission, says: “It was the worst policing I have ever experienced in all my years as a football supporter. I am absolutely incensed at the way my friends and I were treated. Not one of us in our group has ever been in trouble with the police for any type of offence. We were treated like criminals and this issue needs to be as publicised as widely as possible to let all football supporters know about the danger of Section 27.
The Act itself gives police blanket powers to move people from a specified area for up to 48 hours but was never intended as a measure to police football fans. The legislation was designed to clear nightclubs and public houses in the event of late night disturbances. It gives police powers to move people from any place, at any time, if they think an offence related to alcohol MAY be committed. Worryingly, police forces across the country are using these powers to target football fans.
Other Fans Suffer
According to the FSF, South Yorkshire Police used the Act to prevent Plymouth fans attending Argyles Championship game with Doncaster Rovers on 6 December. Two sets of Plymouth supporters have told the FSF that their groups were escorted out of the county by police under threat of arrest and forced to miss the game having been served with a Section 27. Again no arrests had been made and eye witness accounts say that the atmosphere was quiet. The FSF also claim that Gillingham, Southend and Colchestser fans have received similar treatment on seperate occasions.
Liberty and the FSF are now seeking a judicial review to prevent this law from being used on innocent football fans again. They are also urging fans who have been targeted by this law to write to the force concerned demanding an apology and refund on their match ticket.
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Tim Hunt
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