More than 130 arrests in Paris during Champions League final
Clashes, damage and more than 130 arrests marked the PSG-Arsenal final in Paris.
More than 130 arrests in Paris during Champions League final
Approximately 150 individuals attempted to force their way into Parc des Princes at the beginning of the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal, forcing law enforcement to intervene, reports 24.hu.
Clashes broke out around the stadium during the match. Images circulated on social media show police officers using batons to disperse groups of supporters. On Avenue de la Boétie, near the Champs-Élysées, vandals destroyed a bus shelter and threw projectiles at officers.
On Saturday evening, Paris authorities announced that more than 130 people had been taken into custody in the capital following the match won by PSG on penalties. Of these, 45 were held in detention overnight. A police officer was injured by a firework rocket fired during the disturbances.
Laurent Nunez, Interior Minister, had indicated early in the evening that the security arrangement was "very solid", with fewer than 1,600 checks carried out and approximately ten arrests recorded at that point. The government had mobilised 22,000 police officers and gendarmes nationwide, including nearly 8,000 in the Paris region, to secure celebration areas. This mobilisation exceeded that of the previous year.
Celebrations of Paris's success gathered several tens of thousands of people in the city centre. Despite the massive security operation, certain areas descended into lawlessness. Vigilance measures were to remain in effect throughout Sunday, as hundreds of thousands of people were expected to welcome PSG players. President Emmanuel Macron was also to receive the team at the Élysée.
These incidents are part of a series of recurring disturbances during major victories by the Paris club. Last year, following PSG's 5-0 success against Inter Milan in the final, 563 people were arrested in France, of which 491 in Paris. More than 190 injured were reported, 264 vehicles set on fire and two deaths recorded. Three weeks earlier, on the occasion of qualification for the final against Bayern Munich, 127 arrests had already taken place in the capital, with eleven hospitalisations and several police officers injured. Paris's police prefect had then described the operation as one of the largest security operations ever deployed for a football event.
The Interior Minister had warned before this final that zero tolerance would be applied, with police strengthening their checks to prevent any excess.
Source: 24.hu