More than 160 people have been arrested in Paris and Lyon after France’s defeat by Spain in the World Cup semi-final, French police sources have said.
The disorder broke out late on July 14, as Bastille Day firework displays across the country coincided with the final whistle in Dallas, Texas. Spain won 2-0 to reach the final, ending a French run of six straight wins at the tournament.
Some 141 people were held in Paris and its outer suburbs, according to a first tally from the Paris police prefecture. Most of the arrests were linked to firework mortars fired at police officers and emergency services.
A fire station in the 19th arrondissement of Paris was targeted with mortars at about 11.40pm. No damage or injuries were reported and two suspects, who admitted involvement before leaving the scene, were traced and arrested. A complaint was lodged on behalf of the station.
In Lyon, southeast France, about 20 people were detained after groups threw projectiles, including firework mortars, at officers on Place Bellecour, where crowds had watched the match on giant screens. The Rhône prefecture said those responsible were hostile and particularly young, and riot units moved in to break up the gathering.
A man was shot and wounded in the city’s Guillotière district at about 10.30pm the same evening. One person has been arrested and an investigation is under way, though the motive remains unclear.
French interior minister Laurent Nuñez had announced the deployment of 70,000 police and gendarmes across the country for the national holiday and the match, saying there would be no tolerance of disorder.
The night fits a pattern around major football fixtures in France. The quarter-final win over Morocco on July 9 produced 89 arrests, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League victory in May was followed by unrest in dozens of towns, more than 890 arrests and 178 injured officers.
The tie had already carried a political charge. Former Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy wrote in El Debate that France had a squad of the highest level, but without Frenchmen, drawing accusations of racism from French ministers and from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
The French embassy in Madrid responded that 23 of the 26 players in the squad were born in France and that the other three also held French nationality. Rajoy said his words had been taken out of context and that he would not lower himself to the level of his critics.
The security operation was the largest France has mounted during the tournament. It did not stop firework mortars being turned on police and firefighters for the second time in a week.
