Euro 2016 violence: UK government statement
The UK government condemns the violence in Marseille last night and welcomes the UEFA decision to launch an investigation into the unrest.
A government spokesperson said:
The UK government is deeply concerned by the violence in Marseille last night (June 11), including reports that in some cases England fans were attacked by rival supporters. We condemn the violence and urge calm on all sides.
These incidents go directly against the spirit of the tournament and are the actions of a minority. The vast majority of fans in France simply want to enjoy the football.
So we welcome UEFA’s decision to launch an investigation into the violence inside the stadium in Marseille last night, and stand ready to assist in any way we can. We appreciate the Russian sports minister’s statement of support for the investigation.
We are in constant contact with the Euro 2016 organisers and the French authorities and have already provided public order support to the French security operation, including through the deployment of additional police to act as ‘spotters’ in crowds and an enhanced Border Force presence at outbound ports.
We have offered to send further UK police to France ahead of the next England game to support the security operation around the match in Lens. And UK police will be assisting the French with their post-incident investigations and supporting them to gather evidence, including evidence against any England fans involved in the disorder.
The Home Secretary has spoken to her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, the Interior Minister, to continue to coordinate and work closely together on the response. And the Foreign Office has been in touch with the Russian authorities about our concerns.
The Foreign Office has additional staff in France and is providing consular assistance to a number of victims and their families. Six British nationals remain in hospital and several more have received treatment. We stand ready to provide further consular assistance as necessary.