Status: 02/19/2023 4:11 p.m
Several hundred Schalke fans were attacked on Sunday morning, four of them are seriously injured. The police suspect that the attackers can be assigned to the environment of the fan scenes from Essen and Dortmund.
“Due to numerous emergency calls, police officers were on duty in Gelsenkirchen-Schalke this morning,” said a statement from the Gelsenkirchen police. Accordingly, several hundred members of the organized Schalke fan scene had gathered to drive together to the away game at 1. FC Union Berlin.
Baseball bat in use
The police also said that according to previous investigations, Schalke had been surprised by at least 100 violent people at 6:22 a.m., “probably from the Rot-Weiss Essen and Borussia Dortmund fan scene.” As a result, there was a mass brawl in which, among other things, “baseball bats and other striking tools were used.”
When WDR asked about the attackers’ fan affiliation, the Gelsenkirchen police control center could not confirm in the afternoon whether they were definitely and exclusively supporters of RWE and Dortmund. The police referred to ongoing investigations and the evaluation of various indicators and possible evidence.
However, injured people were also taken to hospitals that could be assigned to the Essen and Dortmund fan camps. A police spokesman said: “We know that the derby between Dortmund and Schalke is coming up. If the suspicion with the Dortmund fans is solidified, we must also work preventively with a view to it.”
Four seriously injured
The attackers had already left before the officers arrived, the police reported. At least four people were seriously injured in the altercation, including a bus driver.
Rescue workers treated the injured at the scene. They were then taken to a hospital for inpatient treatment. The police are investigating a breach of the peace and dangerous bodily harm.
Fan friendship between BVB and Essen
Borussia Dortmund and Rot Weiss Essen are linked by a fan friendship, which also stems from their shared rivalry with FC Schalke 04 developed.
On Sunday (02/19/2023) at 2 p.m. Essen and the reserves of BVB will meet in the 3rd division. An hour and a half later, Schalke plays in the Bundesliga at 1. FC Union.
Source: wdr.de