June 2 – Two people have died and hundreds were arrested across France following chaotic celebrations by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans after the team’s historic Champions League final victory, according to the French interior ministry.
In Dax, a town in the southwest, a 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed in the chest on Saturday night, local media reported. In central Paris, a 23-year-old man riding a scooter was struck and killed by a vehicle, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed.
Across the country, scenes of celebration turned violent. Flares and fireworks lit the streets, bus shelters were destroyed, and cars were set ablaze as PSG marked their first-ever Champions League triumph.
PSG denounced the violence in an official statement, calling the incidents “isolated acts” that do not reflect the values of the club or the vast majority of its supporters.
President Emmanuel Macron labeled the unrest “unacceptable” and pledged that those responsible would be identified and held accountable.
Despite the overnight violence, PSG’s victory parade proceeded on Sunday afternoon in central Paris under heavy police and military presence. Authorities capped attendance at 100,000 fans for the procession down the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe.
The interior ministry reported 192 injuries in the early Sunday clashes and 559 arrests nationwide, including 491 in Paris. Among the injured were 22 police officers and seven firefighters. A total of 264 vehicles were torched. In Coutances, northwest France, a police officer was severely injured by fireworks and placed in an induced coma due to serious eye trauma.
As celebrations continued, the Eiffel Tower was lit in PSG’s blue and red colors. President Macron, a supporter of PSG’s rival Olympique de Marseille, posted on X: “A glorious day for PSG! Bravo, we are all proud. Paris, the capital of Europe this evening.”
Following the parade, Macron hosted a ceremony at the Élysée Palace to congratulate coach Luis Enrique and the PSG squad on their historic win.
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