Two people have died and hundreds have been arrested across France after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans celebrated the club’s victory in the Champions League final, according to the French interior ministry.
In the south-west town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest late on Saturday evening, local media reported.
A 23-year-old man who was riding a scooter in central Paris was also killed after being hit by a vehicle, the prosecutor’s office said.
Flares and fireworks were set off, bus shelters smashed and cars torched amid wild celebrations as PSG won the biggest prize in European club football for the first time in their history.
Paris police prefect Laurent Nuñez said PSG’s Champions League trophy parade will go ahead on Sunday evening – but there will be an increased police and military presence on the ground.
“This is just half time for us because the PSG players are coming to Paris. There will be a celebration around the Parc des Princes as well and the players will be at the Parc des Princes to meet their fans.
“There again we are expecting some clashes, some scuffles and we will be there and we will be very strong in our response against the vandals, against the thieves who have a go at the police officers.
“We will not tolerate any abuse today and the fans who want to enjoy the parade, can do so safely.”
Nuñez spoke after the French interior ministry said 192 people were injured in the overnight clashes and 559 people arrested, including 491 in Paris.
Twenty-two police officers and seven firefighters were injured, the ministry said, adding that 264 vehicles were set on fire.
Nuñez said: “The toll is lower than what we have seen in the past, but we will never get used to this kind of abuse, with people who only came to commit acts of vandalism and who did not even watch the match, and we will always have a very firm response.”
He added that “PSG supporters shouldn’t be mixed up with gangs of looters and vandals”.
Separately, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office told the BBC “several shops were looted” in the Place des Ternes area. About 30 people were arrested and taken into custody near a Foot Locker on the Champs-Elysées that was robbed, the office said.
Elsewhere across France, Dax mayor Julien Dubois, reacting to the fatal stabbing, said his “thoughts are with the young victim, his family and friends”.
“We are floored by all the drama tonight,” he wrote on social media. “It is advisable to quickly shed light on these facts in order to severely punish the perpetrator.”
While clashes broke out near the city’s Champs-Élysées avenue and PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, the majority of fans celebrated PSG’s 5-0 win over Inter Milan peacefully, with many singing and dancing in the streets or blaring their car horns.
The Eiffel Tower was illuminated with PSG’s blue and red colours.
French President Emmanuel Macron, a keen supporter of rivals Olympique de Marseille, posted on X: “A glorious day for PSG! Bravo, we are all proud. Paris, the capital of Europe this evening.”
Approximately 5,400 police were deployed across Paris in anticipation of the raucous celebrations.
At least 300 people detained were suspected of possessing fireworks and causing disorder, Paris police said.
“Troublemakers on the Champs-Elysees were looking to create incidents and repeatedly came into contact with police by throwing large fireworks and other objects,” police said in a statement.
Riot police reportedly used a water cannon to stop a crowd reaching the Arc de Triomphe, and fired tear gas into the crowds.
Other clashes between police and crowds occurred on the Paris ring road. At least two cars were torched near the Parc des Princes.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau took a hard line against the disorder, writing on social media: “True PSG supporters are enjoying their team’s magnificent match.
“Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke the police.
“It’s unbearable that it’s unthinkable to party without fearing the savagery of a minority of thugs who respect nothing.”
Meanwhile, outside Paris, police said a car ploughed into PSG fans in Grenoble in south-east France, leaving four people injured.
All those hurt were from the same family, police said. Two were seriously injured.
The driver handed himself into the police and was placed under arrest. A source close to the investigation told the AFP news agency it was believed the driver had not acted intentionally.
The trophy parade in central Paris – scheduled for 17:00 local time (16:00 BST) – will run for one hour from the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe.
After the parade, the PSG players and staff will be received at the Élysée Palace and later on Sunday evening the trophy will be presented in front of season ticket holders at the Parc des Princes.
BBC
