Fire fighters evacuate seven people after fire in Elsässerstrasse
Seven people had to be evacuated by fire fighters when a blaze broke out in a block of flats at Elsässerstrasse yesterday afternoon. All tram and bus lines in the Voltaplatz area were diverted and the police closed certain sections of Elsässerstrasse to all traffic.
According to early investigations by the police, a resident noticed thick smoke coming from a window on the fourth floor of a block of flats at around 2pm and reported it to the emergency services.
Fire fighters evacuated seven people, using an aerial ladder to get some people out. The flames were extinguished within a short time. Five people with suspected smoke poisoning had to be brought to the emergency department at the hospital by paramedics.
Elsässerstrasse had to be closed to all traffic during the emergency operation. This affected the tramlines 11, 8, 6, 1 and the bus services 31, 34, and 38. The rescue operation ended at 3.30pm but diversions remained in place due to a protest in the city centre.
A right to the city: Protest for affordable flats
A protest calling for more affordable flats to be available in the city was held yesterday, starting at Claraplatz at 2pm.
Protesters on the march, organised under the motto «a right to the city», were calling for less displacement which they claim is caused by the high cost of house and office rental in the city of Basel.
«We don't want further obstruction of our life-dreams and life-spaces,» wrote the organisation committee for the protest on its website. They are against construction plans for Mattenstrasse and Steinengraben. The «presumed city development» destroys the cityscape, and affordable flats and work-spaces would give way to luxury buildings, they argue. Therefore they are calling for a change in the housing policy.
The protesters gathered at 2pm at Claraplatz and walked over the Mittlere Brücke towards Peters and Leonhardsgraben. According to the news agency sda, around 400 people took part in the demonstration. On Wednesday, there had been a protest for affordable housing on the Marktplatz under the motto «living space in fresh air».
The police deployed a large squad with several vans. The protest, however, was peaceful. The Basel Transport Services reported that tram and bus lines had to be diverted.
High alert at football match of FC Basel against FC Zurich
When the FC Basel plays against the FC Zurich in the «Joggeli» stadium, it's unfortunately not always about football. Often, the fans collide as well. Therefore these matches are rated by all emergency services as «high risk».
Last season, the «Zürcher Gruppe 4» – known for throwing a firecracker into the family sector in St. Jakob stadium – and the «City Boys» as well as a group called «Kranke Horde» were present in the stadiums during the Challenge League games. Yesterday, these groups from Zurich were confronted with Basler hooligans such as «Bande Basel» and the ultras for the clash between the FC Basel and the FC Zurich.
In April 2016, it was the Basler fans which caused trouble. They started a riot when a police patrol passed too closely to fans on the stands. During the riot, five policemen were injured and one police car was set on fire. Also, in the last away match in August in Thun, FCB fans rioted at the train station and attacked policemen.
Undecided B-fans
Months before the matches, cantonal police forces classify the risks. In Basel, it is assumed that there will be at least 1000 «B-fans». They are the most volatile group. They wear the club colours fanatically. For these «B-fans», every game is a matter of life and death for them, but they are generally non-violent. Only if they are provoked can things turn nasty.
For the police, the «real hooligans» are easier to classify. They are violent people who actively seek confrontation with opposing fans. However, these hooligans, which are usually organised groups of 20-30 men according to the English «firms», keep to their own. They are not interested in «A-fans»; unproblematic match visitors who only want to see the game, or for «B-fans». Sociologists also mention a further group, the «E-fans». They tailor themselves to different events, which means they join in the trouble if there is any. While the real hooligans use the police as some kind of referee, «E-fans» also join in when it's against the police. In this sense, an ugly trend has recently been seen among Baslers and Zurichers. Fights between rival gangs became orchestrated attacks against the police forces.
Rubber bullets and tear gas
They defend themselves with a large contingent. Yet these battles have a price to pay, because innocent spectators have to duck their heads and try to avoid tear gas and rubber bullets. The Basler police declined to talk about the security measurements on Saturday before the match.
«The cantonal police Basel-Stadt is very experienced in national and international football games,» police spokesperson Toprak Yerguz said. In the preparation phase before a game, the police and all involved partners analyse the situation and prepare as well as they can with regards to traffic and security. The planning develops continuously. For tactical reasons details are not given.
The fan representative at FC Basel, Ornella Pessotto, also did not want to say much ahead of the match against FC Zürich yesterday: «It doesn't make sense to heat up the atmosphere even more ahead of such a match. The sport alone should be the focus,» he said.
Ornella Pessotto's cautiousness can be understood. Between here and there, many sensitive situations can come up and it is impossible to predict what will happen. Despite international and national sociological studies, the reasons for violence in football stadiums have not yet been completely analysed. One thing, however, is for sure: The tinderbox in front of the stadium has its price: the average cost of police deployment per match is between 150,000 and 160,000 Swiss francs.