[77438] Violent riots in France following Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League victory

Violent riots in France following Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League victory

The night of celebrations for Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Champions League final victory, following a penalty shootout win over London Arsenal, spiraled into mass riots across France. According to data from the French Ministry of the Interior, as reported by Раньше всех. Ну почти., the number of arrests climbed to 780, with 219 people injured and one death reported. Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that the riots spread to at least 15 cities, involving looting, vehicle arson, and damage to shops.

Readovka, a pro-Russian oriented channel expressing anti-Western views, reported violent clashes with the police that included throwing pyrotechnics at officers. BBC News | Russian Service added that in Paris, authorities were forced to use tear gas to disperse the crowd, while public transport was significantly disrupted. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen was quoted by the BBC as saying: "Only in France does a football club's victory lead to riots."

At the same time, a debate rages over specific incidents: Varlamov News, which maintains a more independent line, highlighted the controversy surrounding PSG's Russian goalkeeper, Matvey Safonov, who was initially filmed without a Russian flag and later waved an improvised one. On the other hand, channels such as Душная община, which promote extreme nationalist views, used the events to attack Europe's immigration policy, claiming that these are "savages who are a burden on the state."

Other sources such as DW Glavnoye noted that about 22,000 police officers were deployed across the country to maintain order, but without full success. The events also resonated in Israel, where Channel 9 Israel described the night as a "difficult night for France" due to the widespread scale of vandalism and attempts by fans to attack police stations.