PARIS (AP) — Nearly 130 people were arrested overnight around Paris after fans and police clashed after a Paris Saint-Germain game. Champions League final advanceInterior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Thursday.
He told Europe 1 radio that the number of arrests since the titleholder’s arrest includes 127 in the Paris metropolitan area and 107 in Paris. PSG defeated Bayern Munich They advanced to the finals for the second consecutive year and third time since 2020.
He said 11 people were injured by the rioters, including one seriously injured by mortar fire, and 23 police officers sustained minor injuries. Clashes occurred outside PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium and on the Champs-Elysées, with police breaking up the groups and preventing rioters from blocking the Paris ring road.
“I strongly condemn this. At these celebrations, there are always hundreds of people responsible for the excesses who try to clash with law enforcement,” Nunez said. “I would like to thank the Chief of Police and all of his teams, as well as my predecessors, for their systematic intervention at my direction.”
He also praised them for preventing property damage and ultimately the looting of stores.
Nunez said security would be stepped up for the final against Arsenal on May 30 in Budapest, Hungary.
Nunez appeared to criticize the recently elected mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, who regularly attends PSG matches, for publicly announcing the creation of a fan zone in Paris for the final without consulting the police beforehand.
“We need to see where this fan zone will be organized,” Nuñez added.
history of violence
Riots have frequently occurred in Paris and other parts of France in recent years.
When PSG won the Champions League last year, police arrested more than 500 people across France. A man in his 20s has died after his scooter was hit by a car during a PSG celebration in Paris.
of Trouble continued the next day.
paris police 148 people arrested After the club lost to Bayern in the 2020 final, fans clashed with police and smashed cars and shop windows.
When PSG won the French title in 2013, ending a 19-year wait, celebrations were cut short on Monday following violent scenes in which fans and riot police fought for hours, leaving 30 people injured.
Incidents occurred on the Champs-Elysées after Algeria won the 2019 African Cup of Nations, in 2021 after the Arab Cup match between Morocco and Algeria, and again in 2022 after France and Morocco reached the World Cup semi-finals on the same day. ___
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