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Dozens arrested in Paris clashes on PSG victory night: police / Photo: © AFP
Dozens arrested in Paris clashes on PSG victory night: police
Police on Saturday arrested dozens of people in clashes that erupted in the French capial as thousands poured onto the streets during Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League final victory.
Some 22,000 police were deployed across France for the game, including 8,000 in Paris, after unrest marred PSG's win in the competition last year. Paris tram lines were halted, several metro stations shut and bus traffic halted in places in bid to minimise disturbances.
According to Paris police, 79 people were detained in the city, of whom 45 were taken into custody. Six vehicles and two businesses were damaged. A police officer was also injured.
As fans celebrated the dramatic penalty shoot out victory, some 20,000 people converged on the city's iconic Champs-Elysees avenue, police said.
Shops boarded up their windows ahead of the match to avoid a repeat of disturbances last year when youths ransacked shops on the Champs-Elysees and other streets. Hundreds of people were arrested.
Two dozen flares and about 100 fireworks were seized Saturday, while a bus shelter was destroyed near the Champs-Elysees avenue.
But fireworks rang out across Paris after the French side completed their win in Budapest.
Police said a bakery and a restaurant were damaged near PSG's Parc des Princes stadium, where tens of thousands gathered inside to watch the match but 4,000- 5,000 people loitered outside with projectiles were thrown at officers.
About 150 people "attempted to enter through one of the gates" at the stadium but police pushed them back, a police spokesperson said.
Some also attempted to erect a barricade with rental bikes which was cleared by police.
An AFP reporter at the scene said clashes broke out between police and supporters near the stadium, and officers responded with tear gas when fireworks were thrown at them.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said there was a "very robust, very solid system in place" to curb violence.
"Our responsibility is to guarantee everyone a festive celebration that is calm and fully secure," a police spokesperson said.
Last year, supporters ransacked shops on the Champs -Elysees and other streets after the PSG win, with hundreds of people arrested.
F. Burkhard--BTZ
