Paris police defends record on Champions League final
Chaotic scenes on Saturday night saw football supporters tear gassed and charged by Paris police. A spokesperson for the organisation has defended its record.
Commentators in France and around the world have denounced the heavy-handed approach of the Paris police in managing crowds during Saturday night's Champions League final.
Loubna Atta, a spokesperson for the force, spoke to BFMTV in a hastily organised interview on Sunday.
Following in the footsteps of the country's Interior Minister and UEFA, she placed the blame on the fans.
"Lots of spectators didn't have tickets or had fake tickets," said Atta.
"Some tried to get into the Stade de France and it was these supporters in particular who created over-congestion and crowd movements by putting pressure on the entrance."
Pepper spraying fans outside stadium in Paris pic.twitter.com/drgzEpR9gD
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 28, 2022
"The use of tear gas was done in a controlled manner to stop attempts at intrusion and crowd movements. We obviously regret that families were indirectly affected," she continued, before adding, "there was no serious incident to lament".
Atta's assessment of the situation clashes with accounts from supporters and reporters who were at the ground who argue that Liverpool fans behaved impeccably.
The British Ambassador to France has called for UEFA to launch an investigation to "establish the facts".
Some politicians in France, including far-right firebrand Marine Le Pen - who normally casts herself as being on the side of the police, are already calling for a parliamentary inquiry.
https://twitter.com/AvaPeraltiago/status/1530648353083641857
Mathieu Valet, a spokesperson for the Independent Police Officers Union, said that the chaotic scenes at the stadium were "the fiasco of UEFA and in no way the fiasco of the police".
He said the private security staff employed by UEFA to manage the event failed to detect fake tickets which led to bottlenecks.
Witnesses however believe the question of fake tickets to be a red herring.
A Sky Sports reporter who was at the scene argued that the situation degenerated because the police fired tear gas on tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters who had been allocated just two turnstiles to enter the ground.
Many believe problem was one of poor organisation by UEFA and overly aggressive policing rather than fake tickets.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1530661454889746434
In total 105 people were arrested and 39 placed in custody on Saturday evening.
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Commentators in France and around the world have denounced the heavy-handed approach of the Paris police in managing crowds during Saturday night's Champions League final.
Loubna Atta, a spokesperson for the force, spoke to BFMTV in a hastily organised interview on Sunday.
Following in the footsteps of the country's Interior Minister and UEFA, she placed the blame on the fans.
"Lots of spectators didn't have tickets or had fake tickets," said Atta.
"Some tried to get into the Stade de France and it was these supporters in particular who created over-congestion and crowd movements by putting pressure on the entrance."
Pepper spraying fans outside stadium in Paris pic.twitter.com/drgzEpR9gD
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) May 28, 2022
"The use of tear gas was done in a controlled manner to stop attempts at intrusion and crowd movements. We obviously regret that families were indirectly affected," she continued, before adding, "there was no serious incident to lament".
Atta's assessment of the situation clashes with accounts from supporters and reporters who were at the ground who argue that Liverpool fans behaved impeccably.
The British Ambassador to France has called for UEFA to launch an investigation to "establish the facts".
Some politicians in France, including far-right firebrand Marine Le Pen - who normally casts herself as being on the side of the police, are already calling for a parliamentary inquiry.
https://twitter.com/AvaPeraltiago/status/1530648353083641857
Mathieu Valet, a spokesperson for the Independent Police Officers Union, said that the chaotic scenes at the stadium were "the fiasco of UEFA and in no way the fiasco of the police".
He said the private security staff employed by UEFA to manage the event failed to detect fake tickets which led to bottlenecks.
Witnesses however believe the question of fake tickets to be a red herring.
A Sky Sports reporter who was at the scene argued that the situation degenerated because the police fired tear gas on tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters who had been allocated just two turnstiles to enter the ground.
Many believe problem was one of poor organisation by UEFA and overly aggressive policing rather than fake tickets.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1530661454889746434
In total 105 people were arrested and 39 placed in custody on Saturday evening.
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