What was meant to be a night of national celebration for Paris Saint-Germain’s historic UEFA Champions League final win over Arsenal quickly descended into chaos across France Saturday, leaving one young fan dead, dozens injured, and hundreds in police custody after widespread violent unrest. French interior officials confirmed Sunday that the total number of arrests nationwide reached 780, a 32% jump from the number of detentions recorded during PSG’s 2023 Champions League victory celebrations, when rioting also broke out. Anticipating potential unrest after last year’s disorder, French authorities deployed 22,000 law enforcement officers across the country ahead of Saturday night’s final, held in Budapest, Hungary. Even with the large security presence, unrest flared in 71 different municipalities, with small groups of rioters engaging in theft, looting and violent clashes with police. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told reporters Sunday that rioters specifically targeted law enforcement with commercial fireworks, leaving 57 officers injured. In total, 219 people across the country were hurt during the unrest, eight of them with life-threatening injuries. One of the most tragic incidents unfolded on a Paris ring road exit ramp, where a young man in his 20s riding a motocross bike crashed head-on into concrete security barriers and was killed. Separately, authorities confirmed another young person was seriously wounded in a knife-linked robbery that broke out amid the chaotic street crowds in Paris. The most severe disorder unfolded on Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées, where 20,000 fans converged to celebrate immediately after the final whistle. The city hall for Paris’ 8th arrondissement, the district that hosts the famous avenue, released a scathing statement Sunday describing the area as having transformed from a celebration space into an urban guerrilla warfare zone overnight. The district mayor called for a strict policy of zero gatherings on the Champs-Élysées for future victory events, arguing it is the only way to prevent repeat violence after repeated disorder following major PSG wins. That call was rejected by Interior Minister Nunez, who argued a full ban of gatherings on the avenue would require reallocating nearly half of the planned security resources for Sunday’s scheduled victory events. Sunday’s official celebration is scheduled to bring an estimated 100,000 fans to the Champs-de-Mars, the public greenspace at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, for an open-air parade featuring the PSG playing squad. After the public event, the team is scheduled to meet with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace. To prepare for the official event, authorities have deployed an additional 6,000 police officers and gendarmes. Nunez has promised a robust, zero-tolerance law enforcement response to any new unrest, and warned that anyone found blocking traffic or intruding on the Paris ring road will face immediate fines.
780 arrested, deadly road accident in riotous PSG victory celebrations across France
