Gavin Mortimer Gavin Mortimer

Were Liverpool fans sexually assaulted at the Stade de France?

Police spray tear gas at Liverpool fans at the Stade de France (Photo: Getty)

The shambles at the Stade de France on Saturday night took a sinister turn on Wednesday as allegations emerged of incidents of sexual assault committed against supporters by gangs of local youths.

What unfolded outside France’s national stadium on Saturday evening as Liverpool and Real Madrid met inside in the final of the Champions League has dominated the news in France ever since. Most of the criticism for what is seen as a national humiliation is directed at Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, who since Saturday evening has insisted that Liverpool supporters were predominantly to blame for the trouble. On Wednesday he received the indirect support of his boss, Emmanuel Macron, via his official spokeswoman, Olivia Grégoire, who assured reporters the president is ‘totally’ behind his beleaguered minister.

In the footballing world, when a struggling manager receives a vote of confidence from the club owner he is normally sacked within the fortnight. That is unlikely to happen to Darmanin, not with the first round of the legislative elections taking place on Sunday week. Macron’s new government is already embroiled in one ministerial controversy, the allegations of rape levelled last week at Damien Abad. In the short term the president will do all that he can to protect Darmanin.

Darmanin’s handling of the debacle has turned a drama into a crisis

But does Darmanin need protecting from himself first and foremost? His handling of the debacle has turned a drama into a crisis, antagonising the British, astonishing the media and angering many police officers who are openly contradicting his assertion that Liverpool fans were the source of the trouble on account of the high number of forged tickets they carried. Even the country’s intellectuals are pondering the signification of the ignominy, a sure sign that the national psyche is bruised.

On Wednesday Le Figaro

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Gavin Mortimer
Written by
Gavin Mortimer

Gavin Mortimer is a British author who lives in Burgundy after many years in Paris. He writes about French politics, terrorism and sport.

Topics in this article

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in