Hooligan violence in Zurich: FCZ-Ultra convicted after tram attack

On the eve of the traditional Zurich football derby, a tram on VBZ line 7 is heading towards Stettbach. Thirty to fifty FC Zurich supporters stop the tram at the Mattenhof tram stop in Zurich District 12. This is because there are fans of the Grasshopper Club in it. The two fan groups attack each other.

The incident on Saturday, January 27, 2024, in Zurich Schwamendingen is making headlines.

GC supporters are injured with iron rods and other weapons. Five of them even have to be temporarily hospitalized. Virtually all of the windows on a tram car are knocked out with iron bars and stones. The interior of the tram is also damaged.

According to a penalty order from the Zurich-Limmat public prosecutor’s office, the damage amounts to almost 30,000 francs. A 27-year-old Swiss plumber is involved in this dispute.

Kia smashed by uninvolved motorist

However, his downfall comes from an incident that occurs immediately after all the FCZ supporters have fled the stop. Several young men, some of whom were masked, were running through Altwiesenstrasse at around 11:15 p.m.

By chance, there is a woman there in her Kia who, precisely because of the tram incident, swerved onto the neighborhood street to drive to Dübendorf.

The woman suffers a real shock.

One of the hooligans stands in front of the car so that the driver cannot continue driving. The 27-year-old plumber, who has his right hand tied up because of an injury, then punches the right rear side window of the vehicle; presumably with a hammer or similar object.

This causes the disc to break. The suspect also pushes off the right side mirror. Scratches, scrapes and dents also occur on the car. The amount of material damage is exactly 5,776 francs 90.

Blood from the accused can be found on the front right side window. Based on this blood trail, the 27-year-old, who already had a criminal record, was clearly identified. According to the penalty order, he fully recognized the insurance company’s civil claim in the amount of 5,776 francs 90.

The accused must serve four months

He has now been sentenced to 120 days in prison for damaging property during a public gathering. The accused must serve these four months.

As the penalty order also shows, the young man has already been convicted three times since 2016. It must therefore be assumed that imposing a fine would not have a sufficient deterrent effect to deter him from committing further crimes.

The 27-year-old also has to pay 1,500 francs in procedural costs: 1,000 francs in fees and 500 francs for an expert report. The costs of his official defense go to the state treasury.

The responsible public prosecutor is waiving the revocation of a conditional prison sentence of 18 months, which the plumber received in July 2021 with a judgment from the Uster District Court. However, their probationary period will be extended by two years. As the penalty order states, the accused’s DNA profile will not be deleted from the law enforcement database until July 9, 2044, i.e. in 20 years.

The penalty order has not been contested and is legally binding.