By the way...

No news is good news?

Lots of police, but peaceful.(Bild: REUTERS)

"Krone" columnist Harald Petermichl has looked into a constantly recurring problem. One that cannot be combated with oversized security measures alone.

Whether the phrase "No news is good news" can be traced back to the English King James I or perhaps to the Welsh writer and historian James Howell, who is said to have said something like this in 1645, will probably remain forever in the darkness of history, especially as the motto "Only bad news is good news" has long set the pace in today's completely overheated media landscape anyway, whether we like it or not. Nevertheless, last Thursday, for once, the phrase "only bad news is good news" gained some (at first glance even pleasing) topicality in connection with an international sporting event in Berlin.

We are talking about an encounter in the Basketball Euroleague between Alba Berlin and five-time title holders Maccabi Tel Aviv. However, the fact that the Albatrosses suffered a clear home defeat of 85:103 was not the decisive news item that evening, as the reporting in the run-up to the game was less about the sporting aspect and more about security issues. The reason for this was the riots in Amsterdam on November 7 around the Europa League match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which led to violent clashes with 30 injured and 63 arrested, which lasted until November 11 and were subsequently classified by the Amsterdam municipal authorities as a "toxic mixture of anti-Semitism, hooligan behavior and anger about the war in Palestine, Israel and other countries in the Middle East".

Iris Spranger, Senator for the Interior and Sport, had therefore declared a high security level and deployed 1,800 police officers (there were 4,897 visitors in the hall). Apparently with success, as there were no significant incidents that evening. As I said, at first glance this is a good thing. However, a queasy feeling creeps over you when you realize that real anti-Semitism has now led to the need to provide one security guard for every 2.72 fans, because it can be assumed that 86 years after the November pogroms, the hostility towards Jews made acceptable by some political forces could once again make itself heard in Berlin, of all places, unhindered, loudly, aggressively and possibly violently. This time it went well, but the basic problem has not been solved. Ultimately, this is not really good news.