Euro 2016 England Fans Chant 'Isis Where Are You?' During Marseille Clashes With Police

Two English fans have been arrested.
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Police fired tear gas after trouble flared outside an Irish pub
Darko Bandic/AP

England fans chanted "Isis, where are you?" during a pre-Euros clash with locals in Marseille prompting police to fire tear gas to disperse them.

 Two English football fans have been arrested over the clashes, which also saw an England supporter suffer a head injury after being hit across the face with a wooden chair.

Footage of the incident showed men hurling chairs, a brutal fist fight outside a McDonald’s and chanting England fans surrounded by police officers with dogs.

It was reported the violence began after a man who appeared to belong to Marseille's large Muslim population was verbally abused by England fans as he walked past them, triggering French hooligans to attack them.

Footage posted to Twitter captured the carnage, with groups of men throwing chairs and fighting police.

 

Gendarmes clad in riot gear and accompanied by dogs were deployed on the streets of the southern city after trouble flared shortly before midnight on Thursday.

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Police patrols on a street following the scuffles
Darko Bandic/AP

Fans were also heard to chant "No surrender to the IRA".

 

A confrontation took place between locals and fans drinking outside Queen Victoria pub and O’Malley’s, an Irish pub in the city's Old Port district, The Press Association reports.

There have been suggestions that a brawl kicked off after England fans verbally abused a local man who appeared to be a Muslim, the Mail Online reported.

Kevin Miles, the chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said he England fans were drinking peaceably but a group turned out and tried to provoke them.

He told The Guardian: “It was all fine until, our understanding is, a group of around 30 to 40 locals turned up, I think with the intention of provoking the England fans to see if they could get a rise out of them.

"In those circumstances, it’s the police’s job to prevent a confrontation and they used French methods to do so, which we’re not particularly used to."

England fans were heard chanting "Isis, where are you?" in the city, where Muslims make up around one quarter of the population. 

Two England fans were reportedly arrested, one for assault and the other for violent disorder.

Ambulances were seen arriving after police carrying riot shields moved in to separate the two groups and tear gas was used to clear the area.

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England fans drinking in Marseille before the clashes
Carl Court via Getty Images

Supporters have travelled to Marseille ahead of England’s game with Russia on Saturday afternoon.

Bars and restaurants have been banned from showing the games on large TV screens in a bid to stop fans gathering and improve security.

France has been in a state of emergency since the November terrorist attacks in Paris when 130 people died.

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ASSOCIATED PRESS
A man walks toward teargas fired by police, following scuffles in Marseille, France, early Friday, June 10, 2016. Trouble flared outside an Irish pub in the Old Port of the southern city just before midnight Thursday, apparently between English fans drinking there and some local people. Marseille is hosting a European Championship soccer match between England and Russia on Saturday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Police patrols on a street following scuffles in Marseille, France, early Friday, June 10, 2016. Trouble flared outside an Irish pub in the Old Port of the southern city just before midnight Thursday, apparently between English fans drinking there and some local people. Marseille is hosting a European Championship soccer match between England and Russia on Saturday. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
A plain clothed French police officer (R) talks to an England fan as others shout and chant outside a bar
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
MARSEILLE, FRANCE - JUNE 09: Police officers look on as England fans shout and chant outside a bar ahead of the England v Russia game on Saturday, on June 9, 2016 in Marseille, France. Football fans from around Europe have descended on France for the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Carl Court via Getty Images
Tom White/PA Wire
A tear gas canister discharged by police to disperse England football fans.
Tom White/PA Wire
The Queen Victoria pub where police dispersed England football fans.
Niall Carson/PA Wire
A member of staff cleans up at The Queen Victoria pub where police dispersed England football fans after an apparent clash with locals in the Old Port district of Marseille ahead of the first game in Euro 2016.