A German football club has condemned the actions of some of their supporters after two tourists said they were attacked by fans in Dublin.
A German football club has condemned the actions of some of their supporters after two tourists said they were attacked by fans in Dublin.
The incident on Abbey Street was said to have happened on Saturday, as a crowd of supporters of FC Schalke 04 walked through the city centre.
Carly Clarke, a photographer from Eastbourne, said one fan pushed her after trying to grab her camera. Fellow photographer, Stephen Lovell-Davis, 70, from London, attempted to intervene, but was pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head.
In a statement released at the weekend, the club condemned the actions of some of its supporters in the city, saying it will “rigorously investigate the events”.The club, which plays in the German second division, said about 2,000 fans travelled to the Republic of Ireland for their 3–2 defeat in a friendly match against League of Ireland side Bohemians on Saturday.
Ms Clarke and Mr Lovell-Davis had both been in Dublin for an exhibition at the Photo Museum Ireland when they came across the group of fans in the city centre.
Speaking to BBC News NI, Ms Clarke said she saw several people recording the march, so she grabbed her camera to take some photographs of her own.
“We initially weren’t exactly sure what the parade or march was about, but there was chanting and they were banging these loud drums, so we thought it was interesting and worth photographing.”
Ms Clarke said they walked towards them and began taking some photos but quickly realised that the fans were “incredibly hostile” and “seemed to be more of an angry mob rather than a parade”.
‘Kicked him in the head’
“One of them lunged for me and tried to grab my camera, which was strapped around my neck,” she said.
“When Steve saw this, he stepped over, and that’s when he was pushed to the ground.
“They then kicked him in the head, and he was unable to get up.
“What was most appalling and disgusting was that they just continued to kick him while he was on the ground – it was relentless
