A defeat on the ground which warmed many spirits in the streets. After the World Cup final in Qatar, from which the French team came out the loserseveral French cities are the theater overflows this Sunday evening.
Mortar fire on the Champs-Élysées
In Paris, the avenue des Champs-Élysées, traditional place of celebration of the victories of the Blues, gave way to a few overflows after the departure of part of the crowd at the end of the match. Firework mortar fire targeted police at the start of the evening, testifies journalist Clément Lanot on Twitter. On his images, we can see a large group of police, supported by vehicles, line up in front of the crowd.
The Paris police headquarters had planned an important safety device this weekend, mobilizing several thousand police and gendarmes in the capital and in Île-de-France. Vigilance was reinforced in the Champs-Élysées sector, with, in particular, limited traffic before the match and until the middle of the night.
The prefect calls for calm in Lyon
Incidents broke out in downtown Lyon, announced the Rhône prefecture on Sunday evening, about twenty minutes after the last whistle of the match. “The police are currently being thrown projectiles near Place Bellecour,” said the prefecture in a tweet, calling on those present to “dissociate themselves from violent groups”.
According to Progress, garbage cans were set on fire, and mortars, smoke bombs and firecrackers were thrown in the central square of Lyon. The security forces used tear gas and water cannons to evacuate the premises, the access to which was blocked.
Tensions also in Grenoble
From 7 p.m., mortar fire rang out in the streets of Grenoble (Isère), reports The Dauphine Libere. Garbage cans were set on fire, fires were set on tram tracks and fireworks targeted the police who came to frame any overflow.
After 8 p.m., new trash cans caught fire, while cars and shop windows were ransacked in the city center, where the streets are littered with rubbish. The situation began to calm down after 9 p.m., with the police regaining control of the main crossroads in the city center, according to Le Dauphiné Libéré.
Clashes in Nice
In Nice (Alpes-Maritimes), individuals “attacked the police and set fire to trash cans in the Jean Médecin sector”, in the city center, testifies the mayor Christian Estrosi on Twitter.
About 300 individuals confronted the police in the evening, estimates a journalist from Nice morning, which describes mortar fire opposing tear gas. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene to extinguish a blaze on the street.
One injured and one arrested in Boulogne-sur-Mer
Smoke bombs were launched on Place Dalton in Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais), according to the Nord Littoral. During the overflows, which required the mobilization of the police, a young man was injured in the face. Subsequently, a man was arrested by the police in the same area, as he tried to flee at the wheel of a car, heading at full speed towards the police.
Seven arrests in Bordeaux
Around 8 p.m., small groups set fire to garbage cans and threw glass bottles at police officers around Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux (Gironde), according to Southwest. Calm returned around 9:30 p.m., however.
The Bordeaux police made seven arrests for “violence against a person holding public authority”, “prohibited carrying of weapons” or “possession of fireworks”, reports the local newspaper.