The 2015 Knurów riots was the biggest unrest among

ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...

and football fans in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

since the Słupsk street riots 1998, in protest at the killing of Dawid Dziedzic, a fan at lower league football match by police. Although the rioting has ceased tensions remain high and fans from around the globe have continued to publicly condemn the actions of the police.

History

On 2 May 2015, at a

Concordia Knurów Concordia Knurów is a Polish Silesian association football club from Knurów, Upper Silesia. They have spent a significant part of their history under the name Górnik Knurów. Their primary colours are green and white and away colours are black. ...

versus

Ruch Radzionków Ruch Radzionków is a Polish association football club based in Radzionków. The club was disaffiliated in 2012 due to financial problems and the board has decided to withdraw from the competition in season 2012/2013. Instead Ruch Radzionków pla ...

fifth division match in

Knurów Knurów (; german: Knurow; szl, Knurōw) is a city near Katowice in Silesia, southern Poland. Knurów borders on the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of two million. Knurów is located in the Silesian Highlands, ...

, police started firing

rubber bullets Rubber bullets (also called rubber baton rounds) are a type of baton round. Despite the name, rubber bullets typically have either a metal core with a rubber coating, or are a homogeneous admixture with rubber being a minority component. Altho ...

at fans from a close distance after several home fans jumped onto the pitch and ran towards the visiting fans. A 27-year-old fan of Concordia, Dawid Dziedzic, was shot, and despite attempts to resuscitate him he died shortly in hospital hours later. He was a single father, described as a caring parent from a modest background. According to the police, the use of such force was justified, whilst the fans said that such a minor infringement of

pitch invasion A pitch invasion (known in North America as field storming or rushing the field) occurs when a person or a crowd of people spectating a sporting event run onto the competition area, usually to celebrate or protest an incident, or sometimes as ...

should never be punished by death. Under Polish law, unauthorised entering onto the pitch during a football match is punishable by up to three years in prison. The police reaction has sparked anger among fans, particularly the

, with the appeal for support reaching an international appeal. A full court investigation has launched into the incident. In

around 200 fans have clashed with police outside the police headquarters, with the riots lasting several days. 46 people were arrested, many injured fans as well as policemen. Thousands of people attended Dawid's funeral on 7 May 2015. Fans lit

flare A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...

s during the ceremony, and the ceremony was conducted in a peaceful manner. The gathering was marked by heavy police presence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knurow riots, 2015 2015 riots Riots and civil disorder in Poland 2015 in Poland Protests in Poland Protests in the European Union 2015 protests Knurów Sports riots Association football hooliganism Police brutality in Europe 2015 crimes in Poland Police brutality in the 2010s

History

See also

References