French police arrest 780 after violent Paris Saint-Germain celebrations
Authorities 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
French police detained 780 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted on Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 57 officers were wounded, with most suffering minor injuries, as football fans set off fires and vandalised shops. One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station.
Nuñez said at a news conference on 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 Élysées neighbourhood 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.
Nuñez said incidents took place in about 15 cities in France other than Paris, describing “one to two” shops vandalised in each. 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.