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05/31 09:55 CDT France detains hundreds after violent clashes following Paris
Saint-Germain's Champions League win
France detains hundreds after violent clashes following Paris Saint-Germain's
Champions League win
By SYLVIE CORBET and SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) --- French police detained 780 people involved in violent clashes in
Paris and other French cities that erupted Saturday night after Paris
Saint-Germain won the Champions League title.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuez said 57 officers were wounded, with most
suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off fires and vandalized shops.
One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station.
Nuez said at a news conference Sunday that "the situation has been largely
brought under control."
"Most of the celebrations took place peacefully" across the French capital, he
said, noting most incidents happened in the Champs Elysees neighborhood and
close to the Parc des Princes stadium in western Paris where fans had gathered
to watch the match.
Police also intervened five times overnight to prevent people from blocking
traffic on the main ring road around Paris, he said.
Nuez said incidents took place in about 15 cities in France, describing "one
to two" shops vandalized in each other than Paris. He said 780 people were
detained in all, with 480 of them in the Paris area alone.
The Paris prosecutors' office said 277 people have been formally placed in
police custody, including 82 minors, for alleged offences. Most were for
assault of police officers while other allegations include theft, vandalism and
disturbing the public order.
One serious accident involved a driver losing control of a car that rammed into
a restaurant's terrace, leaving two people wounded including one seriously,
Nuez said.
But Nuez said that planned celebrations for the team's win on Sunday afternoon
at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, would go ahead as scheduled. He
warned that police would respond with "firmness and determination" to any
potential violence.
Up to 100,000 supporters were expected at the event that has been placed under
high security measures.
The PSG team will then be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the
Elysee presidential palace.
Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle Saturday evening in
Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain won by beating Arsenal on
penalties in a dramatic final.
Fans marched along the avenues near Paris' Arc de Triomphe monument, with some
setting off flares and blaring car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the
Champs-Elysees, where police worked to contain the crowd.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various
locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires to garbage and
self-service bicycles in the streets. Cars were also set ablaze. Those who
attempted to storm a police station in the posh 8th Arrondissement neighborhood
were dispersed, police said.
In May last year following PSG's first title, 201 people were injured in the
French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
