Paris is celebrating again: a year after turbulent celebrations for PSG’s first Champions League title, the French club’s fans took to the streets this Saturday (30) following the new success of their idols in the great continental tournament, amid a reinforced police scheme against possible confusion.
More than 22,000 security agents had been mobilized in France, including 8,000 in Paris, after violent acts marked last year’s celebrations.
At the time, 5,400 police officers had been deployed in Paris and its metropolitan region, on a night that ended with 563 arrests (491 of them in the capital), following images of looting of stores and vandalism in emblematic points such as the Champs-Élysées avenue.
According to the report released at 10pm local time (5pm Brasília time), 79 people had been detained, 45 of whom were kept in custody, and agents also seized 24 flares and a hundred mortars.
That early evening, a bus stop had been destroyed very close to the Champs-Élysées and a police officer was injured.
Damage was also recorded in a bakery, a restaurant, two businesses and six vehicles in the Porte de Saint-Cloud region, close to the PSG stadium, which foreshadowed a difficult night to maintain order in the city.
Big screens
But beyond these isolated disturbances, the atmosphere in the streets was typical of a major sports festival, with cars honking, celebrations in bars and restaurants and an atmosphere of general joy, on a night of high temperatures, more typical of summer than French spring.
The match was followed on television throughout the city, but the Parc des Princes stadium had been prepared as a temple for fans to gather, with six big screens.
Shortly after the end of the match, the chants continued: “Champions of Europe!”, “This is Paris!”, “Luis Enrique, Luis Enrique!”, while fireworks lit up the sky of the French capital for the victory achieved 1,500 kilometers away.
“We came from far away and we only thought about victory. PSG is the reference club in France, so let’s celebrate, it’s going to be a great night!”, said Riad, 26, after having traveled from Charleville-Mèzieres (northern France, close to the Belgian border) to watch the game at Parc.
“A new star shines in Paris”
Marc and Baptiste, 28, already experienced last year’s final on the big screens in the stadium and wanted to do it again because “the atmosphere is crazy, the fervor is incredible, it feels like you’re there!”
“Luis Enrique took us to a new dimension. We handed over the keys to the truck to the right person,” said Baptiste.
The new mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, also celebrated in the stands, accompanied by 500 children from the city’s football schools.
After the match ended, the party also spread to other emblematic places.
Thousands of fans headed to the Champs-Élysées with their PSG t-shirts, where around 10:30 pm local time, 20,000 people had already gathered, according to the police.
Given the enormous number of users, the transport network (metro and buses) was “heavily impacted” on Saturday night, with some lines paralyzed “to ensure the safety of passengers and drivers”.
Congestion problems were also recorded on important traffic routes, such as the ring road that surrounds the capital.
Shortly after the end of the match, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, congratulated the club on the social network X: “A new star shines in Paris! Congratulations to PSG, which makes all of Europe dream. France is proud.”
Macron himself will receive the PSG members on Sunday at the Élysée, on their return home, on a Sunday where the Campo de Marte, in front of the Eiffel Tower, will be the place of celebration in the late afternoon and evening with a forecast of almost 100 thousand fans.
