After Switzerland’s exceptional victory against its Italian neighbor, celebration was in order throughout the country. And the canton of Neuchâtel was no exception: many people took to the streets for the post-match party. That said, if the police want to be tolerant during these demonstrations of joy, they deplore that certain supporters push the envelope a little too far by putting other people in danger. The authorities reported several incidents throughout the canton.
In the city of Neuchâtel, a driver who was driving drunk and under the influence of drugs, got on the sidewalk in front of the Case à chocs and nearly knocked over a very young child in a stroller. Although the child was not injured, the mother was very shocked by his behavior. The police arrested the man, a 29-year-old Swiss resident of Peseux (NE). Other drivers with inappropriate behavior on the road have been reported.
In La Chaux-de-Fonds, on Avenue Léopold-Robert, a group of people used pyrotechnic devices in a reckless and dangerous manner towards other passers-by. This created panic and caused a crowd movement. A 21-year-old man was hit by one of these devices fired by another individual. He was injured in the eye. Other people’s clothes were damaged.
No major incident seems to have spoiled the celebration elsewhere in French-speaking Switzerland. In the canton of Vaud, everything went well, assures Florence Frei, spokesperson for the cantonal police. In Valais, a police official congratulates his canton, which has a direct border with Italy: “We get along very well with our Italian neighboring friends, which is why we have not recorded any confrontations between supporters “.
