Indonesian police fire tear gas to disperse soccer fans

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian police fired tear fuel exterior a soccer stadium to disperse followers who have been attempting to drive their manner right into a match in Central Java province on Friday, months after using tear fuel in one other stadium triggered one of many world’s worst sporting disasters.

No accidents have been reported on Friday, when hundreds of supporters of PSIS Semarang fled tear fuel on the entrance to Jatidiri Stadium in Semarang metropolis after they tried to enter the closed-door match to assist their workforce towards Persis Solo, a workforce from Surakarta metropolis.

Organizers and police had determined to carry the match with out spectators to keep away from doable violence.

Semarang Police Chief Irwan Anwar mentioned the choice was made due to the expertise from the earlier match between the 2 groups in Surakarta, when PSIS Semarang supporters have been attacked as they returned dwelling.

Fans trying to enter the stadium pushed after which threw objects at cops who tried to carry them again. The officers first used a water cannon after which fired tear fuel.

“The use of tear gas was carried out in accordance with the procedures for using force and was outside the match venue, not inside the stadium,” mentioned Semarang Deputy Police Chief Yuswanto Ardi.

Last October, police used tear fuel to halt followers from speeding onto the pitch in a stadium in East Java’s Malang metropolis, setting off a panicked run for the exits during which 135 folks died.

Prosecutors charged 5 males — three police officers who allowed or ordered officers to make use of tear fuel, the chair of the organizing committee and the safety chief — with legal negligence inflicting loss of life and bodily hurt, which carries a penalty of as much as 5 years in jail.

An investigation workforce arrange by President Joko Widodo in response to a nationwide outcry over the deaths concluded that the tear fuel was the primary reason behind the group surge. It mentioned police on responsibility had no data that using tear fuel is prohibited at soccer stadiums and used it “indiscriminately” on the sector, within the stands and outdoors the stadium, inflicting greater than 42,000 spectators contained in the 36,000-seat stadium to hurry to the exits — a number of of which have been locked.

It was among the many deadliest soccer-related tragedies since a 1964 crush in Peru killed over 300 folks.

Soccer is the preferred sport in Indonesia and the home league is extensively adopted. Fans are strongly connected to their golf equipment, and the fanaticism typically leads to violence and hooliganism.