{"id":7205,"date":"2015-06-04T19:52:46","date_gmt":"2015-06-04T18:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7205"},"modified":"2015-06-04T20:55:58","modified_gmt":"2015-06-04T19:55:58","slug":"the-forgotten-men-of-amsterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7205","title":{"rendered":"The Forgotten Men Of Amsterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Carl Jungle Bhoy, Etims Dutch correspondent, sends us this …….<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember Mullan, Vance, McPherson, Dobbin & Kennedy? <\/span><\/p>\n

An ancient Celtic front line from your Granda\u2019s day?? <\/span><\/p>\n

Winners of some obscure 5-a-side trophy?? <\/span><\/p>\n

Wrong! – No need to delve in trivial pursuit down in the dusty vaults of The Celtic Wiki. These are simply the names of five guys who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could easily be your brother, cousin, mate, nephew, or a guy you rubbed shoulders with at CP the last time there was too much \u201clateral movement\u201d doing The Huddle.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Padraig, Andy, Joe, Damian & Tam are 5 ordinary Celtic fans still awaiting #DamJustice >18 months after the Dam burst.<\/span><\/p>\n

AHA! \u2013 Now you remember, don\u2019t you?<\/span><\/p>\n

You probably gave generously to a collection to help them. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, I hear you ask, what\u2019s been happening all that time? <\/span><\/p>\n

Well, would it surprise you to know that the answer to that question is zilch, nowt, nix, nada, SFA? <\/span><\/p>\n

Through no fault of their lawyer Christian Visser – who dutifully lodged appeals against highly dubious charges handed down in a sham of a \u201cfast- track\u201d trial there has been\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0not one \u00a0single, solitary word has been heard from the Dutch justice ministry (O.M) since November 2013<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So, even today, still no date has been set for their \u201cre-trial\u201d, and nobody can do anything about it but wait and wonder. It would seem that, IF the wheels of the Dutch justice system are moving at all, they\u2019re slower than a clapped-out corporation bus in a traffic jam on Union Street, at rush hour, with a puncture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure all of you are familiar with the shocking chain of events which led to the #DamJustice campaign (if not, check out my old blog rants, or hashtags #DamJustice or #LDAMLS on Twitter), so I won\u2019t bore you with all the details. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In short, a chain of monumental misjudgements, combined with tactical & logistical errors by the Amsterdam authorities and Police , starting with the \u00a0failure to protect Celtic fans from attack,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

and introducing the \u00a0use of the most despised plainclothes Police unit in Holland ,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

the Amsterdam A.E [ Aanhoudings Eenheid<\/em>] \u00a0or “Romeos” \u00a0(their call-sign) , who are \u00a0renowned for excessive force \u00a0comparable with the most virulent of ” ultras” .\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All this ignited the flame that was already smouldering after a spate of violent attacks on Celts earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

Not that it took much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tension among the police was \u00a0already high, due to the presence of the Head of State in the Palace on the Dam .<\/span><\/p>\n

Under pressure, some Celtic fans defended themselves against unprovoked violent attacks against their fellow fans. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From undercover \u00a0police as well as local supporters. Celtic fans couldn’t tell, and weren’t made aware of, the difference.<\/p>\n

Now, at no time have we denied the fact that large numbers of Celtic fans on the Dam that day had too much to drink, or indeed that some retaliated.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, what we do continue to deny – vehemently- is that Celtic fans caused the riot . <\/span><\/p>\n

The ensuing \u00a0PR campaign from the Amsterdam mayor disputed this, trying to deflect attention from their own comedy of errors and culpability.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, anyone who witnessed the tissue of contradictions, inconsistencies & downright lies from the those same undercover Romeos who shamelessly used the initial trial in Nov 2013 to gain compensation for injuries, \u00a0knows that .<\/span><\/p>\n

Truth is, other than unreliable statements from those same despised cops , not one single shred of actual evidence or impartial corroboration has been provided to prove that any of these Celtic fans are guilty of the charges against them.<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n

In fact,\u00a0not one of these Celtic fans is guilty of anything other than trying to defend themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>To date, the official line, \u00a0from the Dutch authorities \u2013 both local & judicial \u2013 has been in laying the blame on \u201cdrunken , violent Celtic fans\u201d.<\/p>\n

.<\/p>\n

Attempting to \u00a0deflect from errors in their own decision making process, and the brutal actions of the\u00a0police , both those undercover and the \u00a0uniformed riot squad ( M.E. ), \u00a0officially, they were deemed to have been correct in using \u00a0\u201cjustifiable force\u201d to clear the square, \u00a0thus dousing the \u201cflames\u201d their own colleagues had lit.<\/p>\n

Out of the four main cities in Holland, Amsterdam police are responsible for 50% of arrests involving violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The A.E Police \u201cRomeo\u201d unit themselves have publicly stated (in newspapers) that they \u201cwill learn from the mistakes made\u201d that day, despite showing a disinclination to actually own up to them in court.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are also suspicions that police colluded in order to \u00a0tweak statements and may even have knowingly committed perjury to fit their version of events. <\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe that’s why, legally, the issue has \u00a0moved \u00a0no further forward today since the initial hearings \u00a018 months ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don’t count \u00a0the three Celtic fans who had charges dropped or were acquitted due to \u201cunreliable\u201d evidence, I suppose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, let me ask you to put yourself in the shoes of those five \u00a0Celtic fans. <\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve now had\u00a0575 days and nights knowing that you were \u00a0framed and used as scapegoats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your family & friends have gone through torment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of you have suffered injury.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve been painted in the SMSM as hardened criminals, as \u00a0thugs, or \u00a0hooligans.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cops who abused their positions and beat the shit out of you have never been questioned in court and were even awarded compensation for their injuries. (The Pole Of Justice was not called as a witness). <\/span><\/p>\n

You still don\u2019t know if or when you\u2019ll be asked to appear for re-trial. <\/span><\/p>\n

Or , indeed, what may happen if you are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although, on the surface, you may have managed to put it out of your minds and move on, it\u2019s still lingering there in the background.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Always threatening.<\/p>\n

In effect, your life has been in limbo for more than eighteen months. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Celtic fan groups such as The Celtic Trust & @CelticResearch have continued to offer stellar support . for which you are thankful, but not one single politician in Scotland or Ireland (North or South), or any mainstream \u201cinvestigative\u201d journalist \u2013 if such a thing actually exists – is still fighting on your behalf.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, it\u2019s now such \u201cold news\u201d many people have totally forgotten about you.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe it’s time to remind people . Time to clear your name. Time to move on.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Above all, it’s time the Dutch authorities got the finger out and either fixed a date for the re-trial, or dropped the charges. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The latter, being , as I’m sure they are aware, \u00a0 the correct thing to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you hear the upcoming draw for the CL qualifiers and many of you start thinking about trips abroad, spare a thought for those five \u00a0Celtic fans who \u2013 just like you \u2013 went on a trip to enjoy themselves and support their team back in 2013, and are still dealing with the consequences of being a Celtic fan in the wrong place at the wrong time.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Carl Jungle Bhoy, Etims Dutch correspondent, sends us this ……. Remember Mullan, Vance, McPherson, Dobbin & Kennedy? An ancient Celtic front line from your Granda\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/etims.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/pole-of-justice.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2J7If-1Sd","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7205"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7205"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7209,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7205\/revisions\/7209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}