Fascists plan to wreck England's night in Oslo

JASON BENNETTO

Crime Correspondent

The extreme right-wing group, Combat 18, is planning violent disruptions during England's football match against Norway on Wednesday, according to an internal newsletter.

Wednesday night's game will be the first international England have played on foreign soil since rioting stopped their match earlier this year against the Irish Republic in Dublin. Combat 18 were believed to have been responsible for orchestrating much of the violence in Dublin, including making fascist salutes, shouting anti-IRA slogans and hurling missiles. The rioting in February resulted in the arrest of 41 English supporters and three Irish fans. About 40 people were injured.

The British authorities and the Football Association are desperate to avoid any repetition of the mayhem in Ireland that led to fighting on the streets, particularly in the run-up to European Championships in England next year.

However, Searchlight, the anti-fascist magazine, has seen a news bulletin published by Combat 18, in which the organisation boasts it is going to the game in Oslo for more violence. The high level of policing and intelligence, combined with the expense of getting to Norway, makes it likely that if any trouble does flare up it will happen outside the stadium, probably in bars and clubs.

Tony Robson, a researcher at Searchlight, said: "Combat have made it clear they want to do something that will hit the headlines. They enjoyed the publicity over Dublin and want to do it again and cause a major disturbance.

"It will be much harder in Norway because the police are taking it very seriously. It's more likely to be a drunken rampage with violence before or after the match rather than in the stadium."

He added: "We suspect a lot of them are already over there to avoid being spotted by the police who will be checking people at the ports and airports."

Officers from the football intelligence unit at the National Criminal Intelligence Service have been working closely with the Norwegian authorities and have provided them with information about known hooligans.

They have predicted that up to 250 people without tickets will travel to Norway, many of whom are expected to be looking for trouble. The Football Association still has some of its allocated 500 tickets available, although convicted hooligans are banned from buying them.

NCIS will provide "spotters" who will mingle with the English supporters to help identify known thugs. Norway will refuse entry to any convicted "supporters" and have vowed to prosecute troublemakers.

A spokeswoman for NCIS said the football intelligence officers did not have any evidence to suggest Combat 18 or any formal organisation was preparing to go to Norway. In the past NCIS has argued that groups of hooligans were often aligned to specific football clubs rather than political organisations.

She said: "There's always a risk when England are playing away. There could be trouble, but because so few are likely to go to the match and with the co-operation of the Norwegian police, we believe it is unlikely we shall see serious disturbances.

She said NCIS had received reports of people from British right-wing groups linking up with Danish counterparts.