Union Berlin fans suspected of assaulting teenage Hertha BSC supporters

On Friday evening at the S-Bahn station Schönhauser Allee in Berlin, a brutal incident occurred with a football fan background. A group of young attackers, identifying with the club 1. FC Union Berlin, assaulted two teenage fans of the local rival – Hertha BSC. According to police findings, the victims are boys aged 14 and 15, who were forced to hand over their club attributes, most likely scarves or other clothing items with Hertha colors. The event took place around 10:40 PM in the public space of one of the most important transport hubs in the Prenzlauer Berg district.

The uniformed services are currently conducting an intensive investigation into aggravated robbery (German: räuberische Erpressung). As reported by Berlin Police via the newspaper Der Tagesspiegel: „Am Freitag gegen 22.40 Uhr sollen am S-Bahnhof Schönhauser Allee mehrere Jugendliche zwei Jugendliche zur Herausgabe ihrer Fanutensilien gezwungen haben. Tatverdächtig sind Jugendliche, die sich selbst als Union-Fans zugehörig bezeichnen.” (On Friday around 10:40 PM at the S-Bahn station Schönhauser Allee, several young people allegedly forced two juveniles to hand over their fan accessories. The suspects are young people who themselves identify as Union fans.) — Berlin Police translation="On Friday around 10:40 PM at the S-Bahn station Schönhauser Allee, several young people allegedly forced two juveniles to hand over their fan accessories. The suspects are young people who themselves identify as Union fans.". The scale of aggression against such young people is causing particular concern for the authorities, especially since the perpetrators also belong to the juvenile age group.

The rivalry between Hertha BSC and 1. FC Union Berlin, known respectively as the "Old Ladies" and the "Iron Ones", is one of the fiercest derby antagonisms in German football. Although both clubs are from Berlin, they historically represent different districts and environments, and their matches are tense. This incident fits into the broader context of problems with stadium hooliganism in Germany. Although the overall number of acts of violence at stadiums shows a downward trend, aggression in urban spaces outside of match days remains a challenge for the services. In Germany, there is a Central database of violent offenders and hooligans, which allows for the imposition of preventive stadium bans on persons posing a threat.

teenage victimsage of assault victims Currently, the prosecutor's office is analyzing evidence, including potential surveillance footage from the S-Bahn Schönhauser Allee station. Police are appealing to witnesses who were on the platform on Friday evening to provide any information that could help identify the perpetrators. The authorities of 1. FC Union Berlin have not yet issued an official statement on the matter, but German clubs typically cooperate closely with police to eliminate aggressive individuals from fan structures. If convicted, the juvenile perpetrators face not only corrective penalties but also long-term bans from entering all sports facilities in the country.

Sequence of events: Friday, approx. 22:40 — Incident at the station; Saturday — Report and investigation; Sunday — Media reports