Feeling Lucky or Feeling Safe?
“I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being that this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you’ve got to ask yourself just one question: ‘Do I fell lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”
No this isn’t Wolfgang Schäuble talking at ya, its Harry Calahan aka Clint Eastwood in the (pretty much) opening and closing scenes of the 1971 detective film classic Dirty Harry. But German Interior and Sports Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and Dirty Harry have a lot more in common than you might think: They are both out there to keep us safe from sinister forces that want to hurt us. But whereas all Dirty Harry had to do was track down the ruthless “Scorpion” serial killer, Minister Schäuble is responsible for the protection of millions of World Cup fans – and his opponents are also more dangerous and less predictable than Harry’s was; they will either have some twisted political agenda or, heaven forbid, will be acting upon the grounds of even more twisted “religious fundamentals”.
Sure the World Cup it’s going to be “A Time to Make Friends” and not war. And of course all conceivable measures have been taken to ensure that starting next Friday, the biggest sporting event in Germany’s history will be a safe one. And yet Wolfgang Schäuble knows better than any of us that it is impossible to be prepared for every eventuality, having been shot and crippled by a madman assassin in 1990.
For one thing, “public viewing” is going to be a major part of this World Cup tournament. The games will be viewable all over the nation on large screens like the one that has been built here in front of the Reichstag, large enough for 10,000 fans. Talk about your potential soft targets.
Then there are the US and Iranian team gearing up for war (not against each other, I hope) on the soccer field. Each team brings with it a politically charged and highly inflammable atmosphere that many would love to try and ignite. These teams will be protected in their quarters by German police, of course, and both countries are very likely to have their own security measures in place. German intelligence services are gathering any and all information that could possibly indicate a threat to them. But on can’t help but play the “what if” game.
And yet, although no one can ever guarantee one hundred per cent security anywhere, no one doubts that Germany is one of the few places left in the world where “maximum security” still rings true. Germany is not (yet?) embroiled in the political turmoil the countries mentioned above are. Germany is not a target. The great majority of Germans are open-minded, enthusiastic and proud to host the tournament and the only (slightly) troubling question is whether a tiny minority or handful of lunatic elements can be held in check to keep the stadiums and public viewing areas from becoming no-go-areas for World Cup guests. There is certainly no question that the German authorities are doing everything in their power to keep this from happening.
So you’ve got to ask yourself just one question: ‘Do I fell lucky?’ Well, do ya World Cup visitor? Of course you do. YOU got some tickets! So now stop feeling lucky already. Start feeling safe instead.