FRANCE 24, LE PARISIEN (France)
PARIS – Violence broke out in the French capital’s ritziest neighborhood as supporters gathered to celebrate the Parisian soccer team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winning the French League 1 championship for the first time in 19 years.
Thirty people were injured in the riot, including three police officers. Twenty-one people were arrested.
Tuesday night, around 15,000 supporters came out to Paris’ Trocadero in the posh 16th arrondissement to meet the team and celebrate their victory, reports France 24.
According to the Le Parisien newspaper, about 250 of the supporters were “ultras” – hooligans that have been banned from PSG matches due to stringent security rules implemented in the past three years. A banner deployed on a Trocadero scaffolding read “Freedom for the ultras.”
After the banner was deployed, smoke bombs were thrown, sparking a violent rampage that left 30 people injured.
Cars and scooters were set on fire, shop windows and bus shelters destroyed. The violence spread all the way to the Eiffel Tower, where a tourist bus was vandalized and looted.
The 800 police officers and 150 stadium security deployed for the event were unable to contain the crowds.
Paris Police Commissioner Bernard Boucault – who has come under fire for not having anticipated the clashes – announced that the PSG would be banned from holding public events in Paris, reports Le Parisien.
"They crashed the party," titled Le Parisien:
@amineaziz1 @mamzelle_peacetwitter.com/chesterfizz222…
—An'Do Châ (@AnnDo31) May 14, 2013
Coupes budgétaires et épuisement des stocks de lacrimogènes, Manuel #Gaz n'arrive plus à maintenir l'ordre. #PSGtwitter.com/ArthurDeschmps…
— Arthur Deschamps (@ArthurDeschmps) May 14, 2013
#PSG: autre image des dégradations, deux bus de touristes vandalisés près de la Tour Eiffel twitter.com/itele/status/3…
— itele (@itele) May 13, 2013
#PSG: de nombreux dégâts Avenue Kléber à #Paris (2/2) twitter.com/itele/status/3…
— itele (@itele) May 13, 2013
En Égypte? En Syrie? En Libye? Nooooooon c'est bien en France cher pays de notre enfance!!!#PSG#Trocadérotwitter.com/Mamzelle_Peace…
— Miss Twitteuse (@Mamzelle_Peace) May 13, 2013
#psg#trocadero last night useless police unstopable stupid #football#fans#riotstwitter.com/Sham16294/stat…
— Virginie(@Sham16294) May 14, 2013
#psg were supposed to celabrate their succes a few #hooligans decided otherwise #riots#paris#trocadero last night twitter.com/Sham16294/stat…
— Virginie(@Sham16294) May 14, 2013
#PSG: de nombreux dégâts Avenue Kléber à #Paris (1/2) twitter.com/itele/status/3…
— itele (@itele) May 13, 2013
Le jour d'après #Trocadérotwitter.com/Alexsulzer/sta…
— Alex Sulzer (@Alexsulzer) May 14, 2013
FAR WEST. (ils ont viré le mec de sa voiture)#Trocaderotwitter.com/Antoine_Levequ…
— Antoine Leveque (@Antoine_Leveque) May 14, 2013
