780 arrests in France
Macron announces consequences – “This must come to an end”
May 31, 2026 – 11:55 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
After Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League, the situation in France escalated. The President announces consequences.
French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly condemned the violent clashes surrounding Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League triumph and announced tough action. “This is not football, this is not sport, this is not what we love. We will be uncompromising towards those who were caught,” Macron said as the team was honored at the Élysée Palace. We don’t want this to happen again. It’s over. We’ve had enough. This has to come to an end.”
Interior Minister: 780 people arrested
According to an interim report by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, around 780 people have now been arrested across the country, including around 480 in Paris alone. In addition, 57 police officers were injured during the operations. Compared to a similar event last year, this corresponds to an increase of around 30 percent. The authorities assume that the numbers could change as further evaluations continue.
The team was welcomed back to Paris near the Eiffel Tower the day after the final victory over Arsenal FC in Budapest. According to reports, numerous supporters gathered peacefully at the Champ de Mars and cheered the team around captain Marquinhos and coach Luis Enrique.
The evening before there were incidents in around 15 cities, there was looting in Rennes, Strasbourg, Clermont-Ferrand and Grenoble. “There were solemn demonstrations accompanied by a series of riots, which corresponds to the situation that we expected and therefore foresaw. These riots are absolutely unacceptable,” explained Nuñez.
Around 22,000 police officers deployed nationwide
The situation escalated particularly around the magnificent Champs-Élysées boulevard, where thousands of people had gathered: masked people and emergency services clashed several times, and projectiles and tear gas were used. Videos on social media show cars burning, barricades being set up and fireworks being fired at people.
The game from Budapest was broadcast via public viewing at the Parc des Princes. According to the French media, the stadium was almost completely full and could accommodate around 40,000 spectators. Around 8,000 police officers were deployed in Paris, and a total of 22,000 nationwide.
