Five Celtic fans sentenced to prison in the Netherlands

The Hague, Nov 22 (IANS) Five Celtic supporters were sentenced to up to two months in prison for violence against the police prior to the Champions League football match between Ajax and the Scottish club Nov 6 in Amsterdam.

The magistrate of the court in Amsterdam announced its rulings at the end of an 8.5-hour session Thursday, reports Xinhua.

Two Celtic fans were handed sentences of two months in jail for hitting, and a third got a punishment of one month. The other two, who had thrown beer cans at the police, were given a prison sentence of six weeks. A sixth defendant was acquitted.

Earlier Tuesday the prosecution had demanded two months in prison for all six Celtic fans, who are between 20 and 49 years old, for their part in the violence on Dam square in the centre of Amsterdam.

The lawyer of the Scottish club fans argued that his clients were under the impression that they were fighting Ajax hooligans instead of undercover police. He claimed the police men had not identified themselves until the fans were pushed in a police van.