France: Wild celebrations after stunning UEFA victory by Paris Saint-Germain turn violent, 2 dead, around 200 including cops injured and over 500 arrested
Two people died and hundreds have been arrested in France as celebrations over surprise victory of Paris Saint-Germain at the UEFA Champions League final turned violent last night. Most of the violent celebrations took place in Paris, where fans celebrated the stunning 5-0 victory against Inter Milan in Munich throughout the night.
As per reports, a 23-year-old man riding a scooter died after he was hit by a car carrying fans in Paris. In the southwestern town of Dax, a 17-year-old man was fatally stabbed at a gathering celebrating Paris Saint-Germain’s victory. In another incident, four people were injured after a car ploughed into a crowd celebrating PSG’s win.
Videos show cars, bikes and other items set to fire on the streets and near the football ground. Amid wild celebrations, bus shelters and other property were smashed in the city. A total of 192 people has been injured in violence, most of them in Paris. The injured included twenty-two police officers and seven firefighters.
After the UEFA victory, troublemakers in crowd trying to reach Arc de Triomphe in Paris threw fireworks and other objects at police. The police used water cannons to stop them. Dozens of fires broke out across Paris after people threw fireworks everywhere.
A total of 559 people has been arrested in entire France over violence. Of them, 491 were arrested in Paris alone, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. Most of the arrests were for illegally possessing fireworks and causing disorder, police said.
While majority of fans celebrated peacefully, scuffles broke out near the Champs-Elysees avenue, and around PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium, where thousands of people had watched the 5-0 win on giant screens.
“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.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said that true fans of Paris Saint-Germain were celebrating, and barbarians were creating violence.
He wrote on X, ‘True PSG fans are getting excited about their team’s magnificent performance. Meanwhile, barbarians have taken to the streets of Paris to commit crimes and provoke law enforcement.’ He added, ‘I have asked the internal security forces to react vigorously to these abuses.’
Notably, the UEFA victory by Paris Saint-Germain is the biggest ever victory for the team, resulting in the uncontrollable celebrations.
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