Soon after Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) thrashed Inter Milan five-nil to win the Champions League, Ousmane Dembélé urged fans not to go wild. ‘Let’s celebrate but without breaking everything in Paris,’ said the PSG striker.
His plea fell on deaf ears. Two have died, shops were looted, bus stops vandalised, cars torched and police attacked as Paris succumbed to an orgy of violence. The worst of the rioting was on the Champs-Élysées, where police came under fire from projectiles, including fireworks, and dozens of arrests were made. In total, 563 people were detained and the Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau labelled them ‘barbarians… who had come to commit crimes and provoke the forces of order.’
There is a new generation of thug running amok in French cities
He was criticised by his political opponents. The National Rally described what should have been an evening of joyous celebration as a ‘fiasco’ with Jordan Bardella accusing Retailleau of being unprepared for the riots.
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