Police on Saturday arrested dozens of people in clashes that erupted in the French capital as thousands poured onto the streets during Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory.
Some 22,000 police were deployed across France for the game, including 8,000 in Paris, after unrest marred PSG’s win in the competition last year. Paris tram lines were halted, several metro stations shut and bus traffic halted in places in bid to minimise disturbances.
According to Paris police, 79 people were detained in the city, of whom 45 were taken into custody. Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged. A police officer was also injured. As fans celebrated the dramatic penalty shoot-out victory, some 20,000 people converged on the city’s iconic Champs-Elysees avenue, police said.
Shops boarded up their windows ahead of the match to avoid a repeat of disturbances last year when youths ransacked shops on the Champs-Elysees and other streets. Hundreds of people were arrested. Two dozen flares and about 100 fireworks were seized Saturday, while a bus shelter was destroyed near the Champs-Elysees avenue.