The mayor of Paris’s eighth arrondissement has called for a ban on gatherings along the Champs-Élysées following celebrations that erupted after Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory.
The French club defeated Arsenal on Saturday in Budapest, sparking large-scale festivities and riots in its home city. Thousands of people took to the streets, and several hundred were arrested for clashes with police and acts of vandalism. The mayor described the unrest as resembling “urban guerrilla warfare.”
“The state must acknowledge that it cannot control these crowds and must forbid such gatherings before there are fatalities in our streets,” the mayor stated.
The eighth arrondissement, home to landmarks such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées, saw heightened precautions on Saturday evening, including shop closures. Nonetheless, a kiosk in the area was set ablaze during the unrest.
