During the clashes at the end of the World Cup final won on Sunday by Argentina against France, 227 people were arrested in France, including 47 in Paris and its agglomeration, announced, Monday, December 19, the interior ministry. Forty police including 32 CRS (republican security companies) were injured, according to a police source.
A large force of 14,000 police and gendarmes had been deployed throughout the country, including 2,750 in Paris, to contain the incidents, which had already occurred after the quarter-final against England, then the semi-final against Morocco. On the Champs-Elysées, the police, targeted by bottle throwing and fireworks, used tear gas.
Mortar fire in Béziers
In Lyon, around fifteen people were arrested for throwing projectiles and damaging Place Bellecour, according to the prefecture. Five people were arrested in Bordeaux after clashes with the police at Place de la Victoire.
In Nice, the mayor, Christian Estrosi, condemned “with the greatest firmness” the damage in a district of the city, where 33 people were arrested according to a police source. More than 90 trash cans and containers were set on fire in Grenoble, according to the same source. And, in Béziers, a 14-year-old minor was placed in police custody for shooting “mortars” on a CRS vehicle.