Protection from Islamists
Faeser announces border controls for the European Championship
March 26, 2024, 7:53 a.m
The German security authorities are on heightened alert following the terrorist attack near Moscow. Interior Minister Faeser says there should be controls at all borders for the European Football Championship in the summer. In addition to Islamists, the focus is also on violent hooligans.
For the European Football Championship, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced controls at all German borders. “We will carry out temporary border controls at all German borders during the tournament in order to be able to prevent possible violent criminals from entering the country,” said Faeser to the “Rheinische Post”. “This is necessary to protect this major international event in the best possible way.”
The men’s European Football Championship will take place in Germany from mid-June to mid-July. Faeser had already announced an expansion of border controls in February, as is usual with such major events. Due to the migration situation, there are currently stationary border controls with the neighboring countries Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland.
Authorities are preparing “for all possible dangers.”
The interior minister emphasized that the security of the European Football Championship was her “top priority.” The focus is on protection against Islamists and other extremists, against hooligans and other violent criminals, as well as on the security of networks against cyber attacks. “We are keeping a particular eye on these current threats.”
The forces of the security authorities would be pooled “even more strongly” for the tournament, said Faeser. They prepared themselves “for all possible dangers”. The preparations for the tournament went well and professionally, “also thanks to the excellent cooperation with the countries.”
Against the background of the recent attack on a concert hall near Moscow with at least 137 deaths, a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said on Monday that “increased measures” would generally be taken for the European Football Championship, particularly against Islamist threats. Such an attack would of course lead to “the authorities taking a close look at it” and this would be incorporated into the EM security planning.