Human rights campaign group Amnesty International has warned that Dutch football fans face a “climate of fear” at this summer’s World Cup finals in the USA.
Tight screening at the border, including checks on social media activity, racial profiling and the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on the streets are among the risks highlighted in a report on the tournament’s three host nations.
The Netherlands are playing two of their three group stage matches in Dallas and Houston, two cities where local law enforcement agencies have signed “problematic” agreements to collaborate with ICE, Amnesty said.
“There are no guarantees this will not affect Oranje fans,” Amnesty spokeswoman Julia van den Muijsenberg told AD.nl, while the organisation said FIFA’s promise of a “safe, welcoming and inclusive tournament” was jeopardised by the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Arrests and deportations
So far this year 500,000 people have been deported from the US, which Amnesty’s head of economic and social justice, Steve Cockburn, points out is eight times the number who will watch the World Cup final in the MetLife Stadium in New York.
“Despite the astounding numbers of arrests and deportations, neither FIFA nor the US authorities have provided any guarantees that fans and local communities will be safe from ethnic and racial profiling, indiscriminate raids, or unlawful detention and deportation,” Cockburn said.
Amnesty’s strongest criticism was directed at the USA, but it also pointed out Mexico had mobilised 100,000 troops who could be deployed to crack down on protesters, while Canada has a track record of displacing and marginalising homeless people during international sports events.
The Dutch football association KNVB said it was “good” that Amnesty was highlighting human rights concerns in the host countries, but it would not be drawn further into the discussion.
“Our role remains that of a football association, centred on sporting ambitions,” a spokesman said. “At the same time we remain in close contact with embassies, governments and FIFA for a good, sporting and safe experience for the team and its fans.”
Amnesty warned that fans from Curaçao, which is taking part in the World Cup finals for the first time, risked being subjected to racial profiling. The island nation, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is playing all its group stage matches in the USA, in Houston, Kansas City and Philadelphia.
Fans from Iran, Cote d’Ivoire, Haiti and Senegal will not be able to travel to see their team after the US imposed a visa ban on January 1, unless they have a valid visa issued before that date.
Dutch supporters’ associations dismissed the concerns of Amnesty. Theo Pouw, chair of the Oranje supporters’ association, said: “What nonsense. We’re looking forward to having a really great time, just like at every tournament.”
