Police use tear gas to break up fights in France

Scuffles involving England fans broke out outside an English pub in Marseille’s Old Port on Thursday and Friday, ahead of England’s Euro 2016 game with Russian Federation.

Police fired tear gas at rowdy fans at Marseille’s Old Port for the second straight day on Friday.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Families, women and elderly couples picked their way around the broken glass strewn across the cobbled streets of the historic quay side, a renowned tourist site, as the sirens of police vans and fire engines mingled with the constant chanting of England fans.

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.

The four youths were heavily intoxicated, the local iTele channel reported, citing police sources.

“They are looking for (a fight), provocation”.

Emeline Combi, a 24-year-old Frenchwoman visiting from Paris, told The Associated Press she was on a rooftop restaurant when the friendly atmosphere below suddenly turned ugly.

“There were some small exchanges but nothing too nasty”, Heraud added.

They introduced the Football (Disorder) Act that gave courts the power to confiscate the passports not just of convicted football hooligans but also of those police suspected might be involved in violence.

Then, hundreds of English supporters and local youths clashed for several days in the city.

When a auto with flashing police lights drove by at one point in the evening, a fan threw a beer bottle at the vehicle.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Champ de Mars park underneath the Eiffel Tower on Thursday evening for a rock concert with French DJ David Guetta.

UEFA has repeated its appeal to fans to behave and says it is “confident that the safety of travelling fans will be ensured by the local authorities which are responsible for order in the city”.

Following deadly attacks in Paris by Islamic extremists and fears Euro 2016 is also a target, security already is at an unprecedented high for the month-long tournament that kicks off Friday in Paris when host France takes on Romania.

Outside the ground, English and Russian soccer fans hurled bottles and chairs at each other and French riot police in the town on Saturday. 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.’ But there were suggestions last night the violence erupted when a man – who appeared to be a Muslim – was verbally abused by England fans as he walked past a bar, the Daily Mail said.

English soccer fans have been largely praised for their behavior during recent tournaments.