PARIS — Following violent disruptions during celebrations on Saturday night for Paris Saint-Germain’s second Champions League victory, Paris police arrested 45 individuals after a group attempted to breach a police station in the city.
Festivities erupted in Paris after PSG triumphed in a nail-biting penalty shootout against Arsenal earlier that evening in Budapest, Hungary.
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As celebrations kicked off, hundreds of fans filled the avenues around the Arc de Triomphe, with some igniting flares and honking car horns. Approximately 20,000 revelers gathered along the Champs-Elysees while police worked to manage the crowd.
However, the Paris police prefecture reported that some smaller groups engaged in disorderly conduct at various locations, vandalizing businesses and igniting fires. One officer was injured during these incidents. Police also noted that those who tried to force entry into a police station in the upscale 8th Arrondissement were dispersed.
By 10 p.m., a total of 45 arrests had been made.
The main ring road encircling Paris was briefly obstructed by a crowd before police intervened. Reports indicated that a bakery and a restaurant were damaged in the chaos.
Police managed to contain about 1,000 people gathered near the PSG stadium in the 16th Arrondissement, dismantling bicycle barricades in the process.
Last year, after PSG’s first title victory, police arrested over 500 individuals across France, prompting heightened security in Paris with 8,000 officers deployed throughout the city.