English Condone Hooliganism, Belgian Declares

Belgian Interior Minister Charles-Ferdinand Nothomb battled his critics today with a stinging attack on English society over the May 29 European Cup Final soccer riot in Brussels in which 38 fans died.

In a 40-minute speech at the start of a parliamentary debate on the disaster, Nothomb, under strong pressure to resign over security failures at the Heysel Stadium, blamed almost everyone but himself.

He reserved his harshest words for the British, whom he accused of having long condoned the hooliganism that led to the fatal rampage by Liverpool supporters at the Brussels match with the Italian team Juventus.

“Today, I will speak out severely about the collective responsibility of English society which tolerates this violence, which accepts it, which tries to channel it without wanting to eliminate it,” he said.