Hundreds arrested and dozens of police injured after Champions League riots in France

Eight were in a serious condition, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said. Thousands of officers were deployed to curb unrest that disrupted bus, train and rail services in the capital, Paris. Fifty-seven of them were injured. Nuñez said 780 people had been arrested over the violence - with more than 450 in custody. A person was found dead after an accident on Paris's ring road, which rioters tried to block overnight. Some 6,000 police have been mobilised for Sunday's victory celebrations, which began at the Eiffel Tower. Scenes around the Paris landmark appeared jubilant and peaceful as the parade got under way at around 18:00 local time (17:00 BST), with fans lining the streets. PSG players and staff toured the Champ-de-Mars next to the Eiffel Tower and then attended a reception by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. Later celebrations are planned at the club's home stadium, Parc des Princes. Earlier, the interior minister said the security forces would be "firm" in their response to violence. "We are a great country for maintaining public order. We allow freedom of assembly, but not excesses," he said. There was similar violence when PSG won the same trophy last year, with celebrations turning deadly. Thousands of officers had been deployed this time to curb unrest that disrupted bus, train and rail services in Paris. The vast Champs-Élysées was swarmed by fans shortly after the local team won in a penalty shootout. Footage shows flares being set off, electric bikes burning on roads and revellers smashing the glass of at least one shopfront. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in the city centre. Paris police made 480 arrests, with 277 taken into custody, including 82 minors. The figures were provisional, the Paris prosecutor's office said. It added that offences ranged from attacks on officers to attacks on property, theft, as well as illegal possession of weapons. The circumstances surrounding the death of the 24-year-old near Porte Maillot in the Paris ring road remain unclear. Some witnesses said he was riding a motorcycle when he crashed into concrete blocks. A teenager was also in critical condition following a brawl in another area of Paris. It is not clear if they were involved in the football-related rioting. "The vast majority go out to celebrate and it goes very well," the French interior minister said on Sunday. "But other individuals, who are not PSG supporters, who don't even watch the match, come to cause trouble and disturbances. We are here to prevent them from doing so. Our response is very firm." Far-right leader Marine Le Pen wrote on X: "Only in France does a football club's victory spark riots." "Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence," she said. Between celebration and confrontation: Paris after PSG victoryHundreds arrested in France after wild Champions League celebrationsWeekly quiz: Which tennis star dazzled the French Open with an 'Eiffel Tower' dress?More from the BBC3 days agoPortugal breaks hottest May day record as Europe swelters in heatwaveFrench students are taking their exams in baking schools, while red alerts are issued in Italy. The Home Office says the UK won’t pay France if the site doesn’t open, under a deal to curb migrant crossings. A school assistant goes on trial accused of sexual mistreatment of children in his care, in the latest case to rock the Paris school system. The couple, who allegedly left the woman's sons on a roadside in southern Portugal, will remain in custody. Latest polls suggest the centre-right figure is the only candidate who can defeat Marine Le Pen or Jean-Luc Mélenchon.


Original Source: BBC

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