PARIS has been plagued by a second day of chaos with armed riot police battling with PSG fans at the Champions League trophy parade.
Specialist cops can be seen brandishing batons and riot shields as they storm through the Champs-Élysées to fight back against violent thugs in the capital.
Jubilant celebrations in France have continued today after PSG swept aside a poor Inter Milan side 5-0 in Saturday night’s European final in Munich.
But the joyous scenes over in Germany were quickly overshadowed by violence back home in France.
PSG fans were hit with tear gas overnight as deadly clashes broke out – leaving two dead and nearly 200 people injured.
Almost 600 people were arrested in the ugly scenes with cars, bins and mattresses all seen on fire.
And 24 hours after France was first plunged into danger further issues between police and fans broke out.
PSG players and staff were joined by around 110,000 supporters this afternoon as they held a victory parade on the Champs-Élysées.
Many fans were said to have been trying to pack out the lined streets in the capital to watch the celebrations.
Within a short period of time, the limit of supporters was reached with thousands still looking to find a spot to see the squad return.
This influx of fans caused chaos for riot cops who were seen trying to disperse them by chasing many through the streets.
Video of the intense moment a row of cops started to run across the Alma bridge towards a group of supporters has been shared online.
Thick plumes of blue smoke from flares can be seen next to the Eiffel Tower in the clip.
An officer at the scene said: “They are throwing everything they can at us.”
Flash ball guns were also used by gendarmes, in an attempt disperse gang members carrying weapons of their own, including long metal poles and bricks stolen from building sites.
It followed two people losing their lives during intense nationwide violence following PSG being crowned European football champions.
One of the worst incidents took place in Dax, in the south-west of France, where a 17-year-old was knifed in the stomach.
A local police spokesman said: “He was part of a crowd celebrating the PSG win in designated fanzone, and died from his wounds in hospital.”
A man was also killed when his scooter collided with a car in Paris on Saturday, after the victim was seen celebrating the football win.
A police officer was seriously injured by a firecracker in Coutances, Normandy.
He was placed in an induced coma, with a very serious eye and head injury, and was still in intensive care on Sunday morning.
Paris‘ police chief Laurent Nuñez has come out since and said the blame should be placed on looters and vandals who used the party atmosphere in Paris to cause chaos.
He made it clear that “real” PSG fans should not be mixed up with violent thugs.
A ring of steel had been created around the Champs-Élysées, with major department stores and banks using steel shutters to try and keep looters away.
PSG’s official club shops on the Champs, and at their ground, were also barricaded over the weekend.
Despite this, a Foot Locker sports store on Champs-Élysées was broken into, and goods including multiple trainers stolen.
A Maisons du Monde furniture store on the nearby Avenue Wagram was also looted, said a police spokesman.
I was in the heart of PSG’s celebrations in Paris – it was a war zone
By Sun Sports Features Editor, Rob Maul
OUTSIDE the Parc des Princes last night, it was carnage. Absolute carnage.
No sooner had the final whistle blown in Munich – as Paris Saint-Germain sealed a record-breaking 5-0 Champions League Final win over Inter Milan – the French capital erupted in celebration.
Those who live within a few-mile radius of the club’s home ground had prepared for the worst, sensibly boarding up their shops and cafes in anticipation of mass trouble, and it proved to be a wise decision.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly young men wearing PSG shirts, sprinted away from the club’s football ground and once they were outside of the wide police security perimeter, chaos ensued.
Motorists had to take evasive action coming off the motorway slip-roads as people dangerously spilled into the street, throwing flares into their path.
Soon, the traffic was completely stopped around Porte d’Auteuil as supporters started celebrating in the street – and even jumped on stationary cars.
I saw one woman hurt and needing attention from friends while others cowered for cover as fans rushed forward.
Ambulances were called to the area and so, too, were fire trucks.
And your SunSport correspondent had to sprint away for safety at one point when some of the remnants of the fireworks landed too close for his comfort.
Most of the yobs would not have lived in the local area themselves but they saw this European success as an excuse to break the law and cause disruption.
Youths wearing masks and hoodies were meanwhile seen roaming around the city looking for trouble.
Motorbikes and discared mattresses were set alight, sending thick black smoke billowing through the night sky.
There was even fighting reported around the Eiffel Tower, which was lit up in PSG’s red, white and blue following their 5-0 win.
Around 5,400 police officers were on duty across Paris at the weekend, as trouble was always expected, whatever the result.
PSG fans have an increasingly bad reputation for hooliganism, and some attacked fans from Arsenal and Aston Villa during this year’s Champion’s League campaign.
Read the full article here