French authorities have confirmed that 780 people were detained across the country after celebrations marking Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory over Arsenal descended into widespread disorder and violence, reports RTE.
Some 22,000 police were deployed across France for the match, including 8,000 in Paris, following unrest that had marred PSG’s win in the competition the previous year.
Paris tram lines were halted, several metro stations closed, and bus services suspended in parts of the city in an effort to reduce disturbances, reports RTE.
Highlighting an increased use of fireworks aimed directly at law enforcement, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told a press briefing that 57 members of the security forces had been injured, with 219 people injured among the public in total across France, including eight seriously.
Mr Nunez said the 780 arrests represented a 32% increase on the number made during celebrations of PSG’s Champions League win the previous year, reports RTE.
It was not immediately clear how many of those detained were held in custody to face further investigation.
Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged during the night, reports RTE.
A group of supporters also stormed the Paris ring road, the périphérique, bringing traffic to a standstill for a period and setting off flares, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.
As fans celebrated the dramatic penalty shootout victory in Budapest, Hungary, approximately 20,000 people converged on Paris’s iconic Champs-Élysées avenue, police said, reports RTE.
Shops had boarded up their windows ahead of the match to avoid a repeat of the previous year’s disturbances, when youths ransacked businesses along the Champs-Élysées and other streets.
Two dozen flares and around 100 fireworks were seized on Saturday, while a bus shelter was destroyed near the Champs-Élysées, reports RTE.
The match also coincided with a hectic evening in the French capital, with singer Aya Nakamura performing at the Stade de France, rapper Damso at La Défense Arena, and the French Open tennis tournament in full swing.
Police said a bakery and a restaurant were damaged near PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, where tens of thousands of supporters gathered inside to watch the game, while between 4,000 and 5,000 people loitered outside with projectiles which were thrown at officers, reports RTE.
Around 150 people attempted to force their way through one of the stadium’s gates but were pushed back by police.
Some supporters also attempted to construct a barricade using rental bicycles, which was cleared by officers, reports RTE.
An AFP reporter at the scene said clashes broke out between police and supporters near the ground, with officers deploying tear gas after fireworks were thrown at them.
The scenes drew condemnation from the French far right, with three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen writing on social media that “only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots,” reports RTE.
“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 added.
Mr Nunez said a “very robust, very solid system” had been put in place to curb violence, reports RTE.
The PSG players are scheduled to take part in a parade at the Champ-de-Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower, with around 100,000 people expected to attend, before being received by President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, reports RTE.
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