Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 57 officers sustained injuries, predominantly minor, during a turbulent night as football fans ignited fires and damaged shops. A small faction even attempted to breach a police station in Paris.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Nuñez assured the public that “the situation is now largely under control.”
He explained that “most celebrations across Paris were peaceful,” highlighting that the majority of disturbances occurred in the Champs Élysées area and near the Parc des Princes stadium, where fans had gathered to watch the match.
Nuñez also mentioned that police intervened on five occasions overnight to prevent attempts to block traffic on the main ring road encircling Paris.
He noted that incidents were reported in about 15 cities throughout France, with “one to two” shops being vandalized outside of Paris. In total, 780 individuals were detained, with 480 of those arrests made in the Paris region alone.
The Paris prosecutors’ office revealed that 277 individuals, including 82 minors, have been formally placed in police custody. The charges primarily involve assaulting police officers, along with accusations of theft, vandalism, and disrupting public order.
One serious accident involved a driver losing control of a car that rammed into a restaurant’s terrace, leaving two people wounded including one seriously, Nuñez said.
But Nuñez said that planned celebrations for the team’s win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, would go ahead as scheduled. He warned that police would respond with “firmness and determination” to any potential violence.
The PSG team will then be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace.
Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain won by beating Arsenal on penalties in a dramatic final.
Fans marched along the avenues near Paris’ Arc de Triomphe monument, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. About 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees, where police worked to contain the crowd.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalising shops and setting fires to rubbish and hire bicycles in the streets.
Cars were also set ablaze. Those who attempted to storm a police station in the posh eighth Arrondissement neighbourhood were dispersed, police said.
