by Our Sports Desk

EVERTON fans who had travelled to Lille, France, for last night’s Europa League match were tear-gassed yesterday by local police.

Plain-clothed officers went to arrest a Toffees supporter among the large crowd of Everton fans that had gathered in the city’s Grand Place square around lunchtime.

That led to an altercation between the officers and a number of fans, which escalated and led to the calling in of riot police, who used tear gas against the crowd.

Pictures posted online showed a large contingent of plain-clothed officers holding truncheons and hauling fans to the ground.

Liverpool Echo journalist Greg O’Keeffe, who was in Lille, reported that those gassed included a seven-year-old boy. His father tried to reason with police, who said: “No English” and equipped their truncheons.

Everton supporters said on Twitter that the square had been peaceful before the arrival of the officers.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said that he would contact his counterpart Martine Aubry for an explanation of the Lille police’s actions against the fans.

Thursday’s events followed an incident the night before in which a mob targeted Everton supporters drinking at a local pub, putting two Evertonians in hospital with minor facial injuries. They have now been discharged.

Up to 100 hooded locals came out of a side street, began attacking fans smoking outside the building and tried to smash their way inside.

The pub’s doorman told the Liverpool Echo that “the atmosphere was nice all day … very respectful.”

But when the hooligans showed up, the smokers were “caught cold.”

Local police showed up quickly but then used pepper spray indiscriminately.

“Some of the Everton fans were trying to explain,” the doorman said. “They were saying: ‘There are children inside,’ but the police were swearing at them and wouldn’t listen.

“I saw them spray one Everton fan for no reason. He was just trying to reason with them.”

More than 5,500 Everton fans were expected to attend the Europa League Group H match against Lille last night.