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Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
France mulls tougher sentences after PSG victory marred by violence
PARIS, June 4 — French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday that he wanted tougher punishments for anyone convicted of violence against police, after clashes and car-torchings this weekend marred celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League triumph. Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following PSG's victory in the European football showcase in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day. PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 scoreline in the final to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time. The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France, which were marred by some violence. Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the south-western town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest, and a 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris died after a vehicle hit him. Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic. Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three men in their early twenties receiving suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a €500 (RM2,420) fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said. On Tuesday, eight people were sentenced to prison, with penalties ranging from a five-month suspended sentence to 15 months of imprisonment. 'Minimum' sentence Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued that the first court sentences were not tough enough. 'Some of the sentences for violence — including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property — are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing,' the former interior minister said on X. 'The law needs to radically change,' he added. Darmanin called for an end to the automatic softening of jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a 'systematic minimum sentence' for those found guilty. He suggested 'a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction'. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said the weekend's scenes of unrest had been 'premeditated' and had 'exasperated millions of French people', and agreed that 'minimum sentences' were a good idea. 'The hardening of sentences linked to group and premeditated violence... needs to be starker,' he told parliament. 'Physically not possible' But Aurelien Martini, deputy secretary-general of the magistrates union, responded that minimum sentences — previously tried from 2007 to 2014 — did not work. If the goal is 'to put more people in prison, it's physically not possible', he said, alluding to overcrowding. France's prison population hit a record high on May 1, with more than 83,600 inmates held in facilities that have a capacity of around 62,500, justice ministry data has shown. Socialist leader Olivier Faure added that the judiciary should first and foremost be 'fair' and examine each individual case, not respond 'to collective emotion'. The right-wing head of the Paris region Valerie Pecresse supported Darmanin's idea, saying it was the 'only hope for this violence, this ransacking to never happen again'. Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee Palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called 'unacceptable' violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of PSG, one of the youngest squads in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match. — AFP
Khaleej Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
French minister eyes tougher sentences after violence mars PSG celebrations
French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday said he wanted tougher punishments for anyone convicted of violence against police, after clashes and car-torching this weekend marred celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League triumph. Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following PSG's victory in the European football showcase in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day. PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 in the final to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time. The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France, that were marred by some violence. Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after a vehicle hit him. Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic. Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three men in their early twenties receiving suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a 500-euro ($570) fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Others were set to appear before a magistrate on Tuesday. Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued the first court sentences were not tough enough. "Some of the sentences for violence, including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property, are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing," the former interior minister said on X. "The law needs to radically change," he added. Darmanin called for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a "systematic minimum sentence" for those found guilty. He suggested "a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction". Aurelien Martini, deputy secretary-general of the magistrates union, responded that minimum sentences — previously tried from 2007 to 2014 — did not work. If the goal is "to put more people in prison, it's physically not possible," he said, alluding to overcrowding. France's prison population hit a record high on May 1, with more than 83,600 inmates held in facilities that have a capacity of around 62,500, justice ministry data has shown. Socialist leader Olivier Faure added that the judiciary should first and foremost be "fair" and examine each individual case, not respond "to collective emotion". The right-wing head of the Paris region Valerie Pecresse supported Darmanin's idea, saying it was the "only hope for this violence, this ransacking to never happen again". Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called "unacceptable" violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of PSG, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
French Police Detain Dozens After Football Celebrations
French authorities detained 79 people in the second such wave of arrests during celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win, a police chief said Monday. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 in Saturday evening's final in Munich, flying back to Paris on Sunday for a triumphal parade along the Champs Elysees, then celebrations in a packed Parc des Princes stadium on the edge of the French capital. The PSG winning the biggest prize in European club football for the first time sparked delirious festivities in France, but was marred by violence. On Sunday, "we saw a resurgence of individuals driven by malicious intent who were not really PSG supporters," Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio. "We arrested 79 people, some of them in the night," he said, adding that order had been restored before dawn. Some were detained over taking barriers and briefly blocking the ring road around Paris, while others had tried to vandalize businesses or fired fireworks on the Champs Elysees, he said. On Saturday night, police had made more than 500 arrests across France, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after being hit by a vehicle. A policeman was in an induced coma after being injured by a firework. Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called "unacceptable" violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of the team, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs after PSG's Qatari owners turned their back on the policy of signing star players like Neymar and Lionel Messi. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
79 detained as more violence disrupts PSG's Champions League celebrations
PARIS (AP) — French authorities detained an additional 79 people as violence continued to disrupt PSG's celebrations of its historic Champions League title, the Paris police chief said on Monday. After more than 100,000 people welcomed the return of PSG players to the French capital following their 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday, a second night of scattered incidents ensued. Laurent Nunez, the Paris police prefect, told RTL radio that groups of individuals gathered close to PSG stadium and on the Champs-Elysees avenue after midnight, causing trouble. Nunez said some using barriers blocked the main ring road surrounding Paris for a while, and that other troublemakers set off fireworks and tried to vandalize shops. Nunez said calm was restored at 3:30 a.m. on Monday. PSG had earlier put on an open-top bus parade in the city for its fans. The winners of European club soccer's biggest prize arrived in Paris on Sunday afternoon and headed to France's most famous avenue, the Champs-Élysées, which overnight Saturday saw acts of violence and clashes with riot police. Police had made more than 500 arrests across France on Saturday night. 'The overall number of arrests is very high, it is completely unprecedented,' Nunez said. Celebrations were largely peaceful but degenerated into violence in some areas. A 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in the western city of Dax during a PSG street party after the final, the national police service said. In Paris, a man in his 20s was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations. ___ Follow AP's soccer coverage at
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
French police detain dozens after football celebrations
French authorities detained 79 people in the second such wave of arrests during celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win, a police chief said Monday. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 in Saturday evening's final in Munich, flying back to Paris on Sunday for a triumphal parade along the Champs Elysees, then celebrations in a packed Parc des Princes stadium on the edge of the French capital. The PSG winning the biggest prize in European club football for the first time sparked delirious festivities in France, but was marred by violence. On Sunday, "we saw a resurgence of individuals driven by malicious intent who were not really PSG supporters," Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told RTL radio. "We arrested 79 people, some of them in the night," he said, adding that order had been restored before dawn. Some were detained over taking barriers and briefly blocking the ring road around Paris, while others had tried to vandalise businesses or fired fireworks on the Champs Elysees, he said. On Saturday night, police had made more than 500 arrests across France, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths. In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after being hit by a vehicle. A policeman was in an induced coma after being injured by a firework. Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called "unacceptable" violence during the festivities. Many of the stars of the team, one of the youngest in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs after PSG's Qatari owners turned their back on the policy of signing star players like Neymar and Lionel Messi. A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match. mca/ah/yad
