Paris staggered with happiness during the night – and lost control in places. After Paris Saint-Germain’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League final, parts of the French capital turned into a noisy sea of honking horns, flares, and chants. But while thousands celebrated the victory against FC Bayern, a bitter aftertaste remained the next morning.
The exhibition “Vivre ensemble” by the well-known photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand on the Place de la Concorde was hit particularly hard. Numerous large-format photo panels lay overturned on the ground, damaged or torn from their fixtures. Images that were supposed to celebrate social cohesion became victims of blind destruction precisely on a night of collective euphoria. It couldn’t be more ironic.
The photographer reacted visibly disappointed. In a short video, he spoke with the mixture of sarcasm and frustration that probably only develops when idealism clashes with harsh reality. “Apparently the PSG fans loved the exhibition very much,” he said dryly, calling on volunteers to help rebuild the damaged installation. A sentence half joke, half resignation.
The night was chaotic elsewhere as well. Around the districts of Trocadéro, Alma, and Concorde, there were riots, property damage, and clashes with the police. Groups of young men roamed the streets, threw fireworks, and at times even tried to advance onto access roads to the Paris ring road. The police responded with a massive presence and repeatedly dispersed crowds.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the police arrested 127 people, more than a hundred of them directly in Paris. Eleven people were injured, including one person seriously injured by a fireworks mortar. Around half past two in the morning, calm slowly returned. Paris breathed a sigh of relief – although the city no longer looked pristine afterwards.
The scenes raise a question once again that almost ritualistically arises in France after big football evenings: Why does exuberant joy so often turn into aggression? Of course, tens of thousands celebrated peacefully. Families stood on balconies, people danced on car hoods, strangers embraced. Yet, as so often, a few dozen troublemakers were enough to shape the image of an entire night.
With a view to the final against Arsenal F.C. on May 30 in Budapest, the authorities have already announced a large deployment of security forces. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez promised “systematic interventions” in case of new riots. At the same time, the planned fan zone in Paris is already causing political tensions between the city administration and the police. Behind the scenes, there is significant friction.
Paris loves football. But sometimes this love seems like a matchstick in a room full of gasoline fumes.
Andreas M. B.