Luton Town MIGs
| Founding location | Luton, Bedfordshire |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Territory | Luton area |
| Membership (est.) | 300 |
| Criminal activities | Football hooliganism, riots and fighting |
The MIGs (Men In Gear) are a football hooligan firm associated with English football club, Luton Town, originally formed in the 1980s.
The MIGs formed around 1982, taking over from the 'bovver boy' skinhead type hooligans of 70s, wearing designer clothes and trainers (hence Men In Gear) and becoming highly organised. Also for first time becoming multi-racial and integrated from the various estates in the town, some received banning orders or prison sentences. They have had rivalries with firms from Watford and Queens Park Rangers.
The events on 13 March 1985 when Millwall visited Kenilworth Road to play Luton Town in an FA Cup quarter final match, whilst not instigated by the MIGs did have an effect on future matches between the two clubs. The hooligan element among Millwall's fans started to riot, and invaded the pitch. The game was halted after just 14 minutes of play and the referee took both teams off for 25 minutes. When he blew the final whistle, the pitch was invaded again. Over 700 seats were ripped out of the stands and the surrounding streets also saw more violence. The violence that ensued resulted in a ban on away fans by Luton Town, which in turn resulted in Luton's expulsion from the League Cup. The ban on away fans was lifted by Luton in the 1990–91 season. There was a later, famous incident involving the MIGs and the Hells Angels in the late 1980s, when the former smashed up the George 2nd pub next to Luton bus station frequented by the latter. The incident happened just after the George replaced the Blockers as one of the main 'alternative' pubs.
March 1988 saw the arrest of 8 fans during dawn raids on 17 homes by police. The 8 arrested were aged between 24 and 38 and were accused of belonging to a gang called the 'MIGS'. All were charged with Conspiracy to commit acts of disorder. Eventually all 8 had the conspiracy charged dropped, though 5 were charged with lesser public order offences.
In March 2000, on the fifteenth anniversary of the Luton riot, a group calling themselves "MIGs 2000" were blamed for revenge attacks on Millwall fans when the two teams met at Kenilworth Road.Bedfordshire Police stated that they were aware, weeks before the match, of plans by MIGs 2000, to attack Millwall fans in retribution for the events of 1985.They were said to want revenge with the attitude of, "They've trashed our town once they're not doing it again."
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