Nuremberg police to clamp down on Nazi salutes

NUREMBERG, June 14 (Reuters) British and German police will patrol the streets of Nuremberg to urge England World Cup supporters not to make Nazi salutes, they said today.

Nuremberg's police chief said officers would be on duty outside buildings or areas that were symbolic of the city's Nazi past which includes mass rallies staged in the 1920s and 1930s.

Gerhard Hauptmannl, the city's police chief, said cards would be handed out advising England fans about how they should behave.

Hauptmannl said they were aware that some England fans had been spotted making Nazi salutes in the town.

''We hope that the presence of these police officers will deter people from repeating this kind of thing and we think that these incidents are mostly based on either ignorance or stupidity,'' he told a press conference.

Up to 70,000 England fans are expected in the city for England's second World Cup game against Trinidad&Tobago on Thursday. British authorities said they had worked closely with their German colleagues to ensure the match was played out in a carnival atmosphere.

''We have kept a close watch on this and we took the personal details of those who did the Nazi salute,'' he said. ''We have submitted the matter to the public prosecutor who will decide very soon on how to proceed on the matter.'' Under German law, it is illegal to make the Nazi salute or display Nazi symbols.

Hauptmannl said anyone caught making such gestures would be initially warned by police but any repeat offence would result in a prosecution.

The city's deputy Mayor Horst Forther said he was delighted to welcome England fans to the city and had been encouraged by the fans' behaviour in Frankfurt where their side played their first match against Paraguay last weekend.

Some 70,000 fans were in Frankfurt, with 19 arrested. Stephen Thomas, the head of the British police team in Germany said one English supporter had been arrested in Nuremberg overnight for a serious offence and was still in custody.

Reuters PM GC1847