Rabat – After France won the final match against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, violent riots broke out in Paris.
Following Sunday night’s World Cup win, shops were damaged and looted along the Champs-Elysees, including Drugstore Publicis, Adidas, Intermarché, the French news outlet Actu17 reported. Newsstands were also set on fire and windows were smashed, such as those of the Bistro Romain restaurant and the PSG shop.
The police chief announced that 102 people were arrested and 90 were placed in custody, Actu17 said.
According to the same source, groups of fans threw stones and other projectiles at riot police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
?? Paris : Images des violences la nuit dernière sur les Champs-Élysées. Les forces de l’ordre caillassées ont répliqué par des canons à eau et moyens lacrymogènes. (images @ClementLanot) #Mondial2018 https://t.co/dvWgLuhpZ1 pic.twitter.com/FA5CVrbCbT
— Actu17 (@Actu17) July 16, 2018
In addition, 149 vehicles were burned during the celebration night in Île-de-France, according to LCI.
Scenes of chaos lasted until around 4 a.m. Monday.
The Prefecture of Police stated that 401 people were treated by firefighters and 70 people were hospitalized during the victory celebration. In the fan zone facing the Eiffel Tower, 445 people were rescued by firefighters from heat-related discomfort, according to Actu17.
There were also serious riots in Lyon, where 20 vehicles and bins were burned, windows were broken, and street properties were damaged, the BFMTV reported on its website.
Four men killed during the celebrations
The Actu17 reported that a man on a motorcycle, wearing no helmet, was killed in a collision with a car and another motorcycle at the Champerret gate in Paris. The outlet also reported that an 18-year-old man was killed by several shotguns in the 13th district, an affair which was not linked to the World Cup celebration.
The Daily Star also reported that a “50-year-old France fan died after breaking his neck when he jumped into a canal at the end of the team’s World Cup win,” in Annecy. Another man in his 30s crashed his car into a tree as he celebrated the win in nearby Saint-Felix, added the same outlet.
France had mobilized approximately 110,000 security forces for the event, including more than 4,000 police and security forces in Paris, in case of chaos following France’s World Cup win.
