France detains hundreds after PSG Champions League victory triggers riots
Al Jazeera
Police detained more than 280 people in Paris after PSG’s Champions League win triggered riots involving thousands of fans. Interior Minister Nunez reported 416 detentions nationwide and said seven officers were injured.
French police detained more than 280 people in Paris after thousands poured onto the streets to celebrate Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Champions League final victory, sparking violent clashes.
About 22,000 police officers were deployed across France for Saturday’s match, including 8,000 in Paris, after riots marred PSG’s tournament win last year. Tram lines in Paris were suspended, many metro stations shut down, and bus traffic halted in some areas to curb unrest.
According to the French Interior Ministry, 416 people were detained nationwide, 283 of them in Paris. The number among them held for further investigation was not immediately clear.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said seven police officers were injured and called the riots “completely unacceptable.” Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged.
A group of fans also stormed the Paris ring road (Boulevard Périphérique), paralyzing traffic for a time and setting off flares. As supporters celebrated the dramatic penalty shootout win in the Hungarian capital Budapest, about 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Élysées, police said.
Shops had boarded up ahead of the match to avoid a repeat of last year’s riots, when young people looted stores along the Champs-Élysées and other streets. Hundreds were arrested then. Two dozen flares and about 100 fireworks were confiscated on Saturday, while a bus stop near the Champs-Élysées was destroyed.
The match unfolded on a bustling evening in Paris, with singer Aya Nakamura performing at the national Stade de France, rapper Damso at the La Défense Arena, and the French Open tennis tournament in full swing. Police said a bakery and a restaurant near PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium were damaged, where tens of thousands gathered inside to watch the match. Another 4,000 to 5,000 people gathered outside, throwing objects at police.
Around 150 people “tried to enter through one of the gates” at the stadium, but police pushed them back, a police spokesperson said. Some also tried to erect barricades using rental bicycles, but police cleared them. Clashes broke out between police and fans near the stadium, and police responded with tear gas as fireworks were hurled at them.
The scenes angered the French far right. Three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen wrote on social media platform X that “only in France does a football club victory cause riots.” “Only in France do people feel forced to lock their doors on a winning evening to avoid facing violence,” she added.
Nunez said there was a “very strong, very robust system” to contain the violence. “Our responsibility is to ensure everyone a joyful, calm and absolutely safe celebration,” a police spokesperson said.
PSG players are due to parade Sunday afternoon on the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, before an expected 100,000 people, and then be received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
