Mark Landler | The New York Times | May 23, 2006
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/22/news/journal.php
Except for the red emergency light mounted on the ceiling, there is
little here to suggest the urgent matters that the 120 people in
this national security center may face when the World Cup soccer
tournament kicks off in Germany next month.
On a recent Friday afternoon, a wall of flickering television
screens showed the German national team working out in Majorca. Two
larger screens displayed satellite images of soccer stadiums across
Germany, the Google Earth logos visible in the lower right-hand
corners of the screens.
Obligingly, the center's director, Reiner Piper, switched on the red
light, which flashed like a strobe on a dance floor. "We need
something to tell us when there is a real crisis," he said a bit
sheepishly.
Germany has left little to chance in its preparations to play host
to the World Cup, a quadrennial event that eclipses even the
Olympics in size and global audience.
This room, deep in the Interior Ministry, is the nerve center for
Germany's mammoth security preparations.
The National Information and Cooperation Center, which opened last
week, will operate 24 hours a day during the tournament, gathering
reports from the German police, Interpol and intelligence services
about suspicious activity. Piper expects to handle 1,000 pieces of
information a day.
Threats during the World Cup are the same as those at any other high-
visibility event that brings together big crowds in public places.
Officials said they were on alert for a possible terrorist attack by
Islamic militant groups, although they have no evidence that one is
being planned.
"We've had German victims of Islamic terror, but not on German
soil," said a ministry spokesman, Christian Sachs. "We should not
have any sense of false security because we're not involved in the
Iraq war."
Soccer, however, generates its own brand of mayhem - national
rivalries that are fought with religious fervor, even if the weapons
of choice tend to be beer bottles rather than bombs. When pressed,
the German authorities admit they are more worried about soccer
hooligans than they are about Al Qaeda.
Nerves were rattled here this week with the disclosure that the
Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation had classified 21 matches
as "high risk" events. The news magazine Stern reported details of
the bureau's confidential report.
But Sachs noted that no matches during the early rounds, other than
the opening game between Germany and Costa Rica in Munich on June 9,
fall into the "high risk" category.
In all, there will be 64 matches played in 12 cities, including
Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
Still, history suggests some potential hot spots.
Thousands of British visitors are expected in Frankfurt on June 10,
when England plays Paraguay. British fans are trying to live down a
reputation for hooliganism that was reinforced in 1998, when they
rioted at the World Cup in France.
"You'll have 20,000 England fans with tickets and 10,000 without
tickets," said Rolf Tophoven, a German security expert. "What do you
do with these fans? Will they clash with the police?"
To compensate for a shortage of tickets, the organizers have set up
huge public viewing zones in city centers. The police now worry that
viewers in these areas, well-lubricated by alcohol, could become
unruly.
To stop potential troublemakers, the police will conduct checks at
the western and southern borders, which are normally open.
The British government, which has long experience with hooligans,
has temporarily revoked the passports of 3,500 known offenders.
Britain plans to send more than 40 police officers, known
as "spotters," to watch its crowds in Germany.
In a striking example of cross-border cooperation, it also will send
four prosecutors, who will be authorized to handle offenders while
they are still in Germany.
The bigger threat may come from Poland, where soccer hooliganism is
a more recent, and therefore less policed, phenomenon. German and
Polish soccer fans brawled in a forest near Berlin last autumn.
Unlike Britain, Poland does not have extensive records on known
hooligans.
Poland also has worked closely with Germany. The border police from
both countries conducted a joint exercise recently, simulating a
raid on a bus filled with rioting fans.
But the German authorities are nevertheless worried about a June 14
match between Germany and Poland in Dortmund.
"Even if the center of Dortmund is not jammed with police cars, it
won't mean there isn't a major police presence," said Frank
Scheulen, a police spokesman in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
History is pulling Germany in two directions. The police do not want
to be heavy-handed, especially given that the slogan of this World
Cup is "A Time to Make Friends."
On the other hand, few here forget the calamity of the 1972 Munich
Olympics, when light security was blamed for allowing Palestinian
terrorists to take Israeli athletes hostage. Eleven Israelis were
killed.
The biggest security headaches are those that defy prediction. What
if Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, insists on coming to watch
his team play in Nuremberg? The Germans say he cannot be banned,
though the mere hint that he might be present has prompted
widespread outrage.
"This won't be a quiet place over the next six weeks," Piper said,
savoring the last peaceful moments.
BERLIN Except for the red emergency light mounted on the ceiling,
there is little here to suggest the urgent matters that the 120
people in this national security center may face when the World Cup
soccer tournament kicks off in Germany next month.
On a recent Friday afternoon, a wall of flickering television
screens showed the German national team working out in Majorca. Two
larger screens displayed satellite images of soccer stadiums across
Germany, the Google Earth logos visible in the lower right-hand
corners of the screens.
Obligingly, the center's director, Reiner Piper, switched on the red
light, which flashed like a strobe on a dance floor. "We need
something to tell us when there is a real crisis," he said a bit
sheepishly.
Germany has left little to chance in its preparations to play host
to the World Cup, a quadrennial event that eclipses even the
Olympics in size and global audience.
This room, deep in the Interior Ministry, is the nerve center for
Germany's mammoth security preparations.
The National Information and Cooperation Center, which opened last
week, will operate 24 hours a day during the tournament, gathering
reports from the German police, Interpol and intelligence services
about suspicious activity. Piper expects to handle 1,000 pieces of
information a day.
Threats during the World Cup are the same as those at any other high-
visibility event that brings together big crowds in public places.
Officials said they were on alert for a possible terrorist attack by
Islamic militant groups, although they have no evidence that one is
being planned.
"We've had German victims of Islamic terror, but not on German
soil," said a ministry spokesman, Christian Sachs. "We should not
have any sense of false security because we're not involved in the
Iraq war."
Soccer, however, generates its own brand of mayhem - national
rivalries that are fought with religious fervor, even if the weapons
of choice tend to be beer bottles rather than bombs. When pressed,
the German authorities admit they are more worried about soccer
hooligans than they are about Al Qaeda.
Nerves were rattled here this week with the disclosure that the
Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation had classified 21 matches
as "high risk" events. The news magazine Stern reported details of
the bureau's confidential report.
But Sachs noted that no matches during the early rounds, other than
the opening game between Germany and Costa Rica in Munich on June 9,
fall into the "high risk" category.
In all, there will be 64 matches played in 12 cities, including
Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt.
Still, history suggests some potential hot spots.
Thousands of British visitors are expected in Frankfurt on June 10,
when England plays Paraguay. British fans are trying to live down a
reputation for hooliganism that was reinforced in 1998, when they
rioted at the World Cup in France.
"You'll have 20,000 England fans with tickets and 10,000 without
tickets," said Rolf Tophoven, a German security expert. "What do you
do with these fans? Will they clash with the police?"
To compensate for a shortage of tickets, the organizers have set up
huge public viewing zones in city centers. The police now worry that
viewers in these areas, well-lubricated by alcohol, could become
unruly.
To stop potential troublemakers, the police will conduct checks at
the western and southern borders, which are normally open.
The British government, which has long experience with hooligans,
has temporarily revoked the passports of 3,500 known offenders.
Britain plans to send more than 40 police officers, known
as "spotters," to watch its crowds in Germany.
In a striking example of cross-border cooperation, it also will send
four prosecutors, who will be authorized to handle offenders while
they are still in Germany.
The bigger threat may come from Poland, where soccer hooliganism is
a more recent, and therefore less policed, phenomenon. German and
Polish soccer fans brawled in a forest near Berlin last autumn.
Unlike Britain, Poland does not have extensive records on known
hooligans.
Poland also has worked closely with Germany. The border police from
both countries conducted a joint exercise recently, simulating a
raid on a bus filled with rioting fans.
But the German authorities are nevertheless worried about a June 14
match between Germany and Poland in Dortmund.
"Even if the center of Dortmund is not jammed with police cars, it
won't mean there isn't a major police presence," said Frank
Scheulen, a police spokesman in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
History is pulling Germany in two directions. The police do not want
to be heavy-handed, especially given that the slogan of this World
Cup is "A Time to Make Friends."
On the other hand, few here forget the calamity of the 1972 Munich
Olympics, when light security was blamed for allowing Palestinian
terrorists to take Israeli athletes hostage. Eleven Israelis were
killed.
The biggest security headaches are those that defy prediction. What
if Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, insists on coming to watch
his team play in Nuremberg? The Germans say he cannot be banned,
though the mere hint that he might be present has prompted
widespread outrage.
"This won't be a quiet place over the next six weeks," Piper said,
savoring the last peaceful moments.
--
This is ZESTGlobal. Post articles on international affairs to [email protected]
If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTGlobal by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/join/
SPONSORED LINKS
| Writing book | Writing a book | Writing child book |
| Book writing software | Writing a book report | Business writing book |
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
- Visit your group "ZESTGlobal" on the web.
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
