cannabisnews.com: Dopey Fans Too Relaxed for Fights Dopey Fans Too Relaxed for Fights Posted by FoM on June 14, 2000 at 09:56:39 PT England fans turn to each other...others to dope Source: This Is London Dutch police today revealed the secret behind England's trouble-free opening Euro 2000 match against Portugal - openly-available cannabis.Despite the fallout between some England fans and players after the 3-2 defeat in Eindhoven, there were no reports of any trouble outside the ground. Police claimed that the availability of the drug in the Netherlands probably helped to defuse any violence among thugs normally found in a boozy rage.Scores of ticketless England fans gathered in coffee shops in Eindhoven, where cannabis is legally sold and smoked, to watch the game, greeting the defeat with mild disappointment and gentle applause."The cannabis may have helped relax them," said Johann Beelan, Eindhoven police spokesman. "Even the hooligans enjoyed the party - and they told our officers."There were lots of things for fans to do and everybody had a good time," he added. Only five fans were arrested, all before the game and all for minor offences.England's next match, against Germany on Saturday, is likely to provide a sterner test for the authorities as it takes place in Charleroi in Belgium - where drug laws are much tighter.Some 40,000 England fans are expected for the game - which England must win to have a hope of advancing in the tournament - 10 times the number allocated tickets.Meanwhile, discussions were taking place with UEFA today about player security at the championships following the obscene gesture by David Beckham at fans who hurled abuse after the Portugal game.Football Association executive director David Davies said: "Our security people are well aware of what went on. We will be talking to UEFA about that. There is an issue, we believe, with regard to the Perspex tunnel."I believe that tunnels which are not see-through in this way would be better and the FA chairman, Geoff Thompson, will be raising that with the stadium and security representatives of UEFA."Beckham was pictured giving a "one-finger salute" to England fans who hurled obscene taunts at him as he walked off the pitch in Eindhoven. The taunts were reported to have included insults about Beckham's wife and son.Coach Kevin Keegan said he was present during the incident adding: "I heard the abuse and I was ashamed.He said: "If you had have been in the tunnel and heard what I heard ... I just couldn't believe it."Keegan was at pains to make it clear that the trouble had come from "eight to 10" apparently drunken people rather than the thousands of other England fans.Tory shadow attorney general Edward Garnier branded the Manchester United star's action "unacceptable", no matter how much he was provoked by spectators' taunts. Mr Garnier, MP for Harborough, said: "It sets a bad example to younger footballers and lowers the standards of footballing behaviour at all levels, from the international game to girls and boys playing at school."Other MPs backed Beckham in the row. Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester, said that while the player's gesture was "regrettable", drunken fans were to blame for provoking him.Joe Ashton, the Labour chairman of the Commons All-Party Group on Football, said: "Obviously if a footballer's tired and disappointed, he is human like anybody else and if moronic so-called supporters start swearing and abusing him, it is understandable that there's a reaction."Published: June 14, 2000ŠAssociated Newspapers Ltd. 1997-2000 Related Articles:Cannabis Helps Keep Fans Calmhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread6051.shtmlEuro 2000 Soccer Violence Could Vanish in a Puff http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread5993.shtmlEurope Through The Back Doorhttp://www.ricksteves.com/0899amsterdam.htm Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #9 posted by observer on June 17, 2000 at 07:25:40 PT follow up ... A few days later, in Brussels (where marijuana is not openly sold in coffee-shops) --Friday, 16 June, 2000, 21:55 GMT 22:55 UK England fans fight running battleshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_793000/793191.stm``Riot police earlier fired tear gas at drunkenhooligans who fought running battles with eachother, local residents and police. Fans wielding baseball bats and lead pipesthrew chairs, bottles and cans at police. Clashes between fans and riot police arebelieved to have been sparked by officersclosing an Irish bar in the centre of the city.'' [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by howard on June 15, 2000 at 14:02:16 PT: marijuana causes violence just when this report came out about soccer fans in europe being peaceful because of their cannabis consumption, another report was immediately issued by the mainstream US press that the violence in new york during the puerto rican parade was related to... guess what.....marijuana. they have a response to everything. they cannot ( will not )ever give up their war on weed. if they do, their entire world of lies and corruption will collapse. they cannot afford that to happen. the use of weed as a natural human right will NEVER happen as long as huge coporations keep making billions of its illegality. it's as simple as that. they will lock up all of us, kill us, or give all of us "vaccines" that will keep us from getting high before they agree to letting anyone use cannabis. sorry ya'll, that is the bottom line. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on June 14, 2000 at 17:00:19 PT Wood Stock 99 Articles Hi Everyone,Last year I tried to follow Wood Stock in the news very closely. I wanted to see how it compared to the original. In looking back on these articles I can see something is missing. It is the heart of the original Wood Stock in my opinion. We weren't angry accept at the war.Peace, FoM!The Burning Question at Woodstock '99!http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread2237.shtmlWood Stock 1999 Photos http://www.nandotimes.com/nt/images/woodstock/http://alltheweb.com/cgi-bin/search?type=all&query=cannabisnews+woodstock [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Dan B on June 14, 2000 at 13:11:40 PT: Good Point, Puritan Regarding the first Woodstock, I find it interesting that half a million stoned people got together without violence. Contrast that with the recent riots at Woodstock 99, where the drug of choice was overwhelmingly alcohol. The parallels between these two Woodstocks and the two kinds of soccer fans in the Netherlands should not go unnoticed: The stoned were peaceful, the drunk were unruly and vicious. So much for marijuana causing violence and bloodshed! Thank you, soccer fans, for showing everyone the difference between weed users and boozers. Chock one up for the good guys! [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Morgan on June 14, 2000 at 13:01:24 PT Afraid of Peace I think the peaceful effect cannabis has on people is one of the things about it that Barry & Co. are very afraid of. Imagine if you were part of the military of the United States and your main goal in life was to defend the country from foreign enemies. The powerful tool that is at your disposal for this job, are the people of the United States. You can cull from this herd all the warriors, technicians, administrators, etc. that you need to get this job done.Now, things always work a lot smoother if everyone in this endeavor is on the same page as to who the enemy is and why we need to destroy him. As long as alcohol is the drug of choice of this group, it is relatively easy to keep them riled up enough to go fight this foe. Feed them propaganda when they're sober (on duty), and let them stew it over in their off-duty inebriations. (Ever see just how fanatical a drunk football fan gets?)But, let these same people smoke some weed in their off duty hours, and they're more than likely to independently think about the propaganda they were told, and in that 'bigger lens' way that one gets when high, untangle the words until there's nothing left...but words. And a big lie that all these words were hiding. Coupled with that 'we are all one' feeling when high, and you have a whole bunch of people that want nothing to do with your evil little game. It'll be like herding a bunch of a [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on June 14, 2000 at 11:43:33 PT: Choke on this one, Barry! It's official: cannabis does NOT cause violence. None of the THC'ed soccer fans engaged in murder, assault and battery, child molestation, etc. None grabbed axes and made liverwurst out of their buddies while laughing maniacally. None of the behaviors attributed to cannabis so long ago by racist bigots came to pass, on WHAT WAS PROBABLY THE LARGEST BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION EXPERIMENT IN HISTORY. AMONGST ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT GROUPS OF ANY POPULATION. I have a feeling that this will go down in the annals of sociology as being a turning point for many reasons, not the least of which is that it proved a lot of myths as lies, once and for all.So, cannabis causes crime, Barry? What crimes were committed? (Other than the 'crime' of poor taste in berating one player's wife and child; that's making it personal, and I think the guy was justified in returning the favor. It's one thing to voice an opinion about playing skills, it's quite another when they insult your family out of vindictiveness.) Barry, by your previous statements about cannabis's supposedly deadly effect on the Dutch murder rate, (2x ours! Oh, Barry, your bean counters must have been stoned themselves to have come up with such an outrageous figure!) the bodies must be floating like logs in the canals by now. But they obviously aren't. How do you explain that, Mr. Czar, sir?I can't wait to hear the latest spin on this one. Barry is going to have to perform acrobatics that would put the Cirque du Soleil to shame. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Puritan on June 14, 2000 at 11:29:01 PT Peace Doesn't anyone remember the first Woodstock? Is this what our government is really afraid of? [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on June 14, 2000 at 10:22:10 PT Eat, Drink, Smoke & Be Happy Eat, Drink, Smoke & Be HappyFriday, 9 June, 2000, 17:18 GMT 18:18 UK Fearful of an invasion by marauding English football fans, the Belgians and Dutch have taken a characteristically pragmatic approach to calming tensions during Euro 2000. Mindful that punch-ups are generally preceded by a marathon bout of drinking, they have hit on the idea of a special tournament-tailored beer, with only half the alcohol of normal brands. Click To Read The Complete Article.Eat, Drink, Smoke & Be Happyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_784000/784433.stm [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on June 14, 2000 at 10:16:31 PT Hash Keeps England Fans Happy Hash Keeps England Fans HappyIs this the secret behind the trouble-free tournament?Forget the special low-alcohol Festival Beer on sale at Euro 2000 - the real reason for the trouble-free behaviour of England fans is a lot stronger than that. Police have admitted that the widespread availability of cannabis in the Netherlands has had a calming effect on fans, whom it was feared would cause trouble after the Portugal game last Monday. Thousands of supporters are taking advantage of the relaxed nature of Dutch society, by puffing their way through the tournament. Even the hooligans enjoyed the party - they told our officers - Police spokesman Reports say ticketless fans in Eindhoven's coffeeshops, where marijuana is decriminalised, greeted the 3-2 defeat with "mild disappointment and gentle applause". "The cannabis may have helped relax them," said Johann Beelan of the Eindhoven police force. "Even the hooligans enjoyed the party - and they told our officers. "There were lots of things for fans to do and everybody had a good time," he added. 'Here We Blow' Pro-cannabis campaigners in the UK have seized upon the comments as evidence that authorities should take a similar approach to the drug in this country. Have you heard of anyone smoking a joint and then starting a riot? - Ronald Dam, Amsterdam Cannabis College Only five fans were arrested, all before the game and all for minor offences. England's next match, against Germany on Saturday, is likely to provide a sterner test for the authorities as it takes place in Charleroi in Belgium - where drug laws are much tighter. Some 40,000 England fans are expected for the game - ten times the number allocated tickets. Wednesday, 14 June, 2000, 09:21 GMT 10:21 UK Hash Keeps England Fans Happyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/euro2000/teams/england/newsid_790000/790392.stmPicture Gallery:http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/euro2000/photo_gallery/newsid_787000/787984.stm [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: