
French police fired tear gas last night in Marseille after violent clashes broke out between English fans and local football hooligans.

Clashes erupted shortly after midnight in the French city's Old Port area where hundreds of travelling supporters had spent Thursday drinking.

Local French youths are thought to have attacked England supporters who had gathered en masse outside the Queen Victoria pub, and O'Malley's, an Irish bar next door, ahead of the Three Lions first group game of Euro 2016 against Russia on Saturday.

The ultras posted messages on social media saying: 'Welcome to Marseille, England fans.'

A group of England fans chanted: 'ISIS, where are you?'

Marseille is a port city with a strong Islamic community and Muslims make up around a third of the population.

Two England fans have been arrested, one for assaulting a barman and the other for violent disorder.

Scroll down for video

Clash: England fans are captured posturing in front of French police in an aggressive style outside an Irish bar last night

Deterrent: Police use tear gas to disperse the angry crowds after trouble flared with England fans in Marseille

Fans walk away from the clashes as tear gas hangs in the air after last night's violence on Marseille's streets

England fans huddle together outside the Irish bar as police dog units and riot officers watch on in the Old Port area of the city

Aggressive: England fans run around outside the Irish bar as concerned police watch on

Trouble: French police used tear gas on English fans in Marseille after clashes broke out between travelling fans and local hooligans

Violence: Trouble flared outside an Irish pub in the Old Port of the southern city just before midnight on Thursday

A group of England fans were said to have chanted: 'ISIS, where are you?' ahead of the Three Lions first match against Russia

Last night there was conflicting reports of what sparked the clashes in the southern French city.

'They were baiting us, and then attacked,' said one fan from Leeds, who asked to be named only as Simon.

'None of the England fans were doing anything wrong – a few of us had a bit much to drink, but that was all.

'Suddenly a French gang appeared and started attacking us, and throwing stuff. We had to defend ourselves, and then the police showed up.'

Others spoke of their fear as they were targeted by youths brandishing makeshift weapons, and shouting 'Get the English'.

Chris Lord, another England fan from London, said: 'This was a really nasty attack. The gang knew exactly where we were, and clearly wanted to hurt us.'

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters' Federation, which runs the fans' embassy in Marseille, said he believed the locals turned up with the intention of provoking the English supporters.

He said: 'There's not huge numbers of England fans in town yet. People were drinking and having a bit of a sing-song all day, the French police were very relaxed, letting them get on with it.

'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.'

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.

French ultras are then thought to have attacked the fans.

Groups of supporters were then seen running in different directions, as restaurants and bars in the area quickly shut doors and pulled down shutters.

At least one England fan could be seen lying in a pool of blood, having been attacked with a wooden chair.

Ready for kick-off: Thousands of England fans have landed in France ahead of the start of Euro 2016

Let it all out: Two rowdy - and rather pale - supporters settle into their holiday on the southern France coast

Here we go: Roy Hodgson's side begin their campaign against Russia in Marseille on Saturday evening. But their loyal support have already got their month-long tournament underway with a hearty day's drinking in the summer sun

Cheer: The party began early this morning as the first few planes from across the Channel touched down in the south of the country

Police first responded to the violence at around 11.45pm and by midnight ambulances were arriving.

As well as riot police, undercover officers brandishing stun guns and truncheons picked off anybody behaving badly.

It was all a grim replay of the violence in 1998 which happened before and after England's 1998 World Cup tie with Tunisia in Marseille. Some of those who had been involved in the 1998 clashes were drinking in the area again.

During that time, more than 100 were arrested or deported and some England fans were later jailed.

By the early hours, police had blocked off roads around the Old Port, using dogs and vans to stop traffic getting through.

Meanwhile, gangs of local thugs could be seen taunting England fans who were trying to get back to their hotels.

Toast: Within hours, flag draped fans had taken over dozens of local pubs and packed out town squares as the atmosphere began to build ahead of Saturday's clash

It did not take too much longer until the shirts came off, with hundreds of supporters going topless in the scorching June temperatures

Spill: England fans chant as they drink in a bar ahead of the England versus Russia game

Have a drink: Sun-kissed fans were also seen necking pints as they got to grips with the local culture

Into the spirit: It did not take the travelling party long to let their hair down at the coastal resort in southern France

British football fans are risking an unprecedented security threat in France this week – from hooliganism and terrorism.

It follows warnings from a range of security agencies, ranging from the U.S. State Department to French police that Islamic State terrorists are planning to strike.

France remains under a state of emergency following last November's terror attacks, with thousands of soldiers joining police on the streets.

Marseille commander Laurent Nunez said the Three Lions opening match against Russia on Saturday was 'a particularly high risk' as far as football-related violence was concerned.

Banter: The travelling party shared a laugh and a joke with passing locals as they belted out chants throughout the afternoon

Come on England: Two fan groups come together outside the local sounding bar, The Queen Victoria

Don't mind us: Two local woman weave their way through the gathered crowds of England supporters

Get on the sun cream: One reveller throws his hands up in the air as he sings along while making the most of the warm weather

Underway: With 48 hours still to go until kick-off, the England fans were in strong voice today

Representing: Supporters draped St George's crosses emblazoned with their favoured club's name over the local bars and restaurants

United: Despite favouring different club sides, the travelling army come together to cheer on England

Multi-cultural: England fans selling 'England Berets' drink in the port area of Marseille this afternoon

No risks: With security ramped up across the country following November's terror attacks in Paris, there was a visibly strong police presence around Marseille

History: The uniformed officers will also be on high alert for any acts of hooliganism following the dreadful scenes that unfolded the last time the Three Lions played in the city

Francois Hollande, the French president, said a 90,000-strong security force, including soldiers, would ensure the matches being played in 10 cities will be safe.

The England team are due to arrive in Marseille today, and will stay in a city hotel before Saturday's game.

Some 70,000 England fans – many without tickets – are expected to arrive in the city over the weekend. They will have to watch matches indoors or in heavily guarded official fanzones.

Bars and bistros in France have been banned from screening matches on large outdoor televisions, amid fears of a terrorist attack on fans.

The Marseille authorities are also prohibiting swimming on the city's beach during screenings of matches.

A one-mile exclusion zone, patrolled by the coastguard, the maritime gendarmerie and navy, is being set up to prevent a Tunisia-style atrocity.

Thirty-eight people, including 30 Britons, were murdered when a gunman attacked the Tunisian beach resort of Sousse last year. Student Seifeddine Rezgui, 23, shot holidaymakers with a Kalashnikov that was hidden in a parasol.