EURO 2012: RUBBER BULLETS FLY AS SOCCER HOOLIGANS FIGHT PITCHED BATTLES

VIOLENCE erupted at Euro 2012 last night as football hooligans fought pitched battles in the streets of Warsaw.

Trouble flared ahead of joint-host Poland’s crunch match with Russia at the city’s National Stadium.

The bloodshed began after thousands of Russian fans began a “provocative” march through the Polish capital to mark their homeland’s national day.

Witnesses said the Russians fought back after they were ambushed by a gang of Polish hooligans.

Riot police raced to the scene with squads of officers firing rubber bullets as dozens of rival supporters beat and kicked each other.

Several people were seen lying injured and bleeding on the ground,

Last night police said 100 people had been arrested and 10 injured ­– one of them seriously.

Security forces had braced themselves for a showdown over concerns of a confrontation which has already been dubbed the Battle of Warsaw.

Poland’s Conservative opposition had condemned the Russian fans’ march as a provocation but it was still given the go-ahead by the authorities.

More than 6,000 officers were drafted in amid fears that centuries of bad blood and conflict between the nations would trigger violence.

Poland suffered more than four decades of repression during the Cold War after the Soviet Union’s forces frustrated the country’s hopes of independence at the end of the Second World War.

Last night’s match was scheduled on Russia Day – a national holiday marking the end of the Soviet Union, which has been celebrated since 1992.

The Russians said the march was not political and was aimed at supporting their team.