Police: It was an accident

This all seems like a very, very unfunny joke. Without mentioning the obvious and asking why was a gun necessary for a small scuffle, setting off a firearm at a petrol station the guy's lucky he didn't blow the place up.

I don't really know what to say that hasn't been already, this is the last thing we all needed. Am supposed to be going over there in 3 weeks as well.

Why are these morons fighting at a station in the first place? So the ultras now have a riot to "even" the score??? Gosh, this is stupid

The whole incident and aftermath is symptomatic of the total lack of order in Italy.

The place is a genuine powder keg largely populated and governed by complete idiots.
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I heard talk of a civil war on the news last night. Why must everything be so over the top ?
Shit like this will keep happening until these twattish Ultras are muzzled.
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Forza Milan
Most successful European team EVER !

With the international break coming up, not sure this http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7091306.stm is needed.

out of 400 rioting last night a grand total of 3 were arrested (one was female..and not me!). At the atalanta game no one was arrested.. why dont they arrest this people when they are commiting the crime?? why do they wait to do it after the event at which point it is too late.
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FORZA ROMA...SEMPRE, COMUNQUE E DOVUNQUE

From the sounds of things, the police officer fired the weapon from over 200 yards away - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7090170.stm

Even though he had a negligent discharge with an accidental second shot, the idea being put about that this was a deliberate attempt to kill the victim is ludicrous.

I've not handled a pistol (why is it that handling guns has a whole array of double entendres 'handling weapon', 'discharge'?) in years, and wouldn't be confident of hitting anything, let alone anyone from more than 20 yards; a skilled shot wouldn't even think of hitting anything from more than 80 yards. Someone completely unfamiliar with a pistol would do well to hit anything at 15 yards.

However, the Ultras seem to be using the idea of a pre-meditated action as an excuse for some muscle-flexing - and I can't help thinking that by putting themselves in a position where they are, in effect, challenging law and order, they may be heading for a rather hefty fall they're not anticipating...

and hardly a mention anywhere about the 20 police injured by 'fans' after the Birmingham - Villa Derby yesterday!

Round up these idiots and throw them in jail

Its seems it wasnt so accidental... he shot with both arms out straight in front of him...
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FORZA ROMA...SEMPRE, COMUNQUE E DOVUNQUE

Romagirl - So how are feeling running in Rome now? Does it dominate the 'water cooler' discussion? The conspiracy theory is always king in Italy but I think this really may have been a terrible accident, how do Romans feel about it?

I've read a lot of English language reports and stuttered my way through Corriere dello Sport and one thing seems to strike me - that the tragedy has united the opposing Ultras albeit briefly against a 'common enemy', however misguided.

I love the spectacle of the coreografie, the Curva Sud in Stadio Olimpico. The terrace violence itself is choreographed to some extent, its ritual rather than spontaneous. The police are actors in this choreography too, you can almost set your watch to the halftime attack under the stadium as the Laziale go beneath the stand to attack the Romanisti through the terrace exits. I sat 20 metres from such an attack with a father and his two kids at last season's Derby - they were enthralled by it all but not frightened. the little boy and girl spent the whole evening glued to the Curva, the flags, flares, firecrackers and most of all the singing, they will remember that forever.

It would be a shame to lose the atmosphere generated by Ultra fans, which is almost unique to Italy now in western Europe. I am not defending the violence at all, in no way, and I even am a bit worried about my next trip to Rome for the ManUtd match in case I am mistaken for an English supporter by some thug with a knife. That said, there needs to be an accommodation found, power must be removed from the Ultras for sure but driving them all from the stadiums and onto the streets can't be the answer either.

Calcio is an intrinsic part of Italian life and society, for better or worse, it will always be infused with the passion that is so absent in the like of the premier league grounds - but the savage element needs to be tempered.

Here's an interesting blog on the weekend's events by Paolo Bandini in the Guardian and you can leave comments too...
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport...n_tragedy_sends_the_fight_ag.html

They use football as excuse to fight.... unemployment is high and salaries are very low... they take their anger out on the police, who are certainly not innocent. The ultras are fighting against the establishment/ government. the police are not paid well here and I guess are sick of having to deal with this people adn so they react the way they do. I've walked past riot police and heard them saying come on lets get ready to get them when they come back. They go after men and women..it doesnt matter. They have no idea how to deal with crowd trouble... they use tear gas when it isnt necessary.. they have no idea. Ive lost count of the number of times ive been tear gassed and im certainly not an ultra. They just have no idea. The derby is the most tense game of the year yet they let the fans mix in the stands and everytime they fight...how stupid are they. Yet when we play say Parma, the 10 away fans are sectioned off and surrounded by 100 riot police.. where is the common sense in that???

The games should never have been played. Im sure there would still have been some violence but certainly not the extreme that we saw on sunday night. This wont just go away. Im sure the next time I go to the stadium there will be problems. But as you see from the numbers arrested these things happen and the ultras get away with it. Between 400-1000 rioting and destroying building in rome and they arrest I think 8 people??? They never ever arrest people at the time of the crime.. they try to arrest them the next day..same when they are at the stadium. Why?? Why not go into the Curva? The police wont even walk under the Curva let alone go in it. Until these things change then it will continue like this.

Here they say that havent found the Juventini that they were supposedly fighting with. I think the fighting had long since finished when they drove off out of the service station...
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FORZA ROMA...SEMPRE, COMUNQUE E DOVUNQUE

Well, I think with all due respect that it is wrong to accuse ULTRA movement sitting in England and reading papers.

I am not classical ULTRA even I will stand line vs any policeman of this world...as they are not different from some merda on the stands...

If I were some of people here I would accuse every f**king British tourist that make troubles in Greece islands year by year...and said, well 'why police dont kill them'

Dont talk if you dont have clue about it...and dont judge about people you dont know.

Someone had problems visiting any Curva in Italy? I mean people from Britain are welcomed at Curva Scirea even when some Juventino heard England, there are first thought about you know...our brothers that were killed.

But it is stupid to make any conclusions about what you see in papers or it is presented by media...as they are terrorists and send just one side of the story.

Agree with some opinions that few hundred of morons used tragic death of innocent man to make more troubles at Rome.

About Bergamo disturbances it was just protest about games being played.

Why life of ordinary people is less worth that life of policeman.

No merda just want to play games...

Hope you understand my opinion...

I really want to reply properly to Drughi's rant but i don't think it will be worth it . The emoticon he uses at the end says it all.
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Non mollare mai.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject".

I sympathise with a lot (if not all) of Drughi's sentiments. In this country we do like to spout our holier than thou rhetoric with regards football violence. And yes to some extent we are justified but let's face it, we live in the most yobbish nation in Europe and are hardly in a position to preach on the best forms of controlling larger louts.

Roma girl - I don't think you can judge whether or not it was deliberate from the stance adopted when holding the gun.

From 200 yards-plus, standing with the gun held in both hands, arms out in front of you could still mean the bullet would pass well above the heads of those the round was meant to warn; angle the wrist and the height at which the round travels increases.

Not to say that the policeman is completely innocent (there seem to be at least two instances of weapons handling numptiness on his part), just that his firing stance is no safe pointer to what he intended to do.

Roma Girl wrote:

They use football as excuse to fight.... unemployment is high and salaries are very low... they take their anger out on the police, who are certainly not innocent. The ultras are fighting against the establishment/ government. the police are not paid well here and I guess are sick of having to deal with this people adn so they react the way they do...

well said.

the facts of the shooting are almost irrelevant to the whole story - I believe it was an accident - the stupidity of firing a warning shot seems to have been forgotten by most people (bullet has to come down somewhere!)

Any news on Totti's foot?

I think he takes a size 10...
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Non mollare mai.

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject".

Calcio stops for Sandri