French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Tuesday, June 3, that he wanted tougher punishments for anyone found guilty of "violence" against law enforcement officers, after arrests this weekend during football celebrations.
Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following Paris Saint-Germain's football Champions League win in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day. The PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time.
The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France but was also 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 those who were allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalize shops and blocking traffic. Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three hearings resulting in suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a €500 fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said. Around 20 more suspects were set to be tried 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. "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."
Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysée 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.