Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)’s highly anticipated UEFA Champions League final win on Saturday was supposed to be cause for celebration across France. Instead, it descended into anarchy. Two people were killed, hundreds were arrested, and large sections of the French capital were destroyed after the mass riots broke out late at night.
PSG won its first Champions League crown in nearly a decade in a dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City in Berlin. Thousands flooded the streets of Paris following the final whistle. Thousands swarmed outside the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées, and Parc des Princes, hoisting flags, flaring lighters, and belting songs of ecstasy.
By nightfall, violence erupted in many of the strategic locations. Fireworks were not festive but were hurled at riot police. Cars were burning. Store windows were shattered. Looters in Saint-Denis and the Marais pillaged shops. Ground reporters saw almost 30 cars set on fire and a minimum of 60 stores trashed.
In a tragic turn of events, Paris police on Sunday morning confirmed that two individuals lost their lives in the pandemonium.
One was a 24-year-old man who was engulfed in a stampede in the vicinity of Place de la République. Witnesses recounted hearing a loud explosion-like noise before panic set in, and everybody ran in all directions. He could not be resuscitated.
The second victim was a 31-year-old man, said to have been stabbed during a street brawl in the Pigalle area. Police reportedly think that the attack was gang-related and do not know yet whether the crime was linked to the post-match riots.
Both fatalities have shaken the city. Flowers and PSG scarves were already being laid at the Place de la République by mid-morning, and fans were talking of feeling sick at the tragedy.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin disclosed that more than 325 individuals were arrested overnight, mainly for vandalism, intoxication in public, and attacking police officers.
Initially, over 5,000 police and gendarmes were present in Paris before the finals, but reportedly “overwhelmed” by the numbers and intensity of the gatherings as well as the extent of the riots.
French President Emmanuel Macron provided a statement late in the night.
As police try to establish what went wrong to lead the celebration to spiral out of control, there has been questioning of whether France can cope with major public events, particularly with next summer’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers, not to mention the memory of 2024 Olympic security defense anxiety hanging over them.
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