Forty arrests in Paris for carrying prohibited weapons after the victory of the Blues against Morocco: “They wanted to do battle”

“It’s a party, we won, we’re in the final. For me, we win without a doubt (next Sunday, editor’s note), this star is ours, I wanted to experience that on the + Champs +”, said declared to AFP Anna Issa, 18, who came from Reunion to Paris “for lack of going to Qatar”. “I’m very happy to be back in the final, it’s the second time in four years (after 2018)”, added Sylvain Badin, 24. “What a pleasure to find Argentina (in the final)”, he added, all to his “joy”, before putting away his French flag to try to find a friend in the crowd.

“It’s only football”

Earlier during the match, a few dozen Moroccan supporters had gathered on the avenue, their country’s starred red flag on their backs, to follow the match on their mobile phones. “We lost, but it’s only football. We made history by going to the semi-finals (…) We are proud of our country and happy for France”, insisted Kamal Seddiki, Moroccan student 22 years old.

When France doubled the bet by Randal Kolo Muani (79th), the goal was greeted by a CRS bus which triggered its siren. Some 10,000 police and gendarmes were mobilized in France to supervise the supporters of the two teams – including 5,000 in Paris and the Paris region.

Forty people close to the far right, who were about to join the Champs-Elysées in Paris after the semi-final, were arrested. They are accused of carrying prohibited weapons. The group was arrested in the 17th arrondissement of the French capital for “grouping with a view to committing violence” and carrying prohibited weapons, a police source explained. Several of the group’s members are known to the police for belonging to a movement close to the ultra-right. “They clearly wanted to do battle on the Champs-Elysées,” added a police source.

Some 2,200 police and gendarmes were mobilized in Paris on Wednesday evening to supervise the festivities after the France-Morocco match won 2-0 by the Blues.

The forces of order massively deployed on the crowded axis and around framed the celebrations interspersed with small clashes, responding to jets of projectiles with charges and tear gas fire. A total of 115 arrests took place in the Paris conurbation, including 101 in Paris, said the police headquarters, shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday.

Interpellations in Avignon or Lyon

In Bordeaux, the Place de la Victoire was filled with people from the final whistle. According to the prefecture, 2,500 people were there around 10:30 p.m., with no apparent overflow. “We are happy for France”, assured Hossam Boutalah, a 20-year-old student, who endorsed the Moroccan flag. “We are brothers, after all, we are together,” he said, although “Morocco played well and deserved to score”.

In Marseille, 3,000 people were present in the Old Port, without any notable incident, and several thousand supporters gathered in the center of Nice. The prefect of Hérault announced in Montpellier the death of a young boy, “violently hit by a driver following the match” and “died shortly after his medical treatment”.

The city of Lyon was the scene of scenes of jubilation and horn concerts. But, shortly after the end of the match, “a group of far-right young people approached the supporters gathered on Place Bellecour. There was a fight and the police quickly intervened to push the group back and follow them” , according to a prefectural source. The prefecture reported seven arrests in total, including two among ultra-right activists.

In Annecy, an arrest took place after projectiles were thrown at the police and a man was evacuated to hospital, injured during a fight, according to the prefecture of Haute-Savoie.

Arrests were also reported in Avignon: 14 including eight for mortar fire, according to a police report sent to AFP.