President Emmanuel Macron has asked the government to be “transparent” about the incidents that occurred near the Stade de France on Saturday evening, government spokeswoman Olivia Grégoire said on Wednesday, apologizing for these incidents. The Head of State told the Council of Ministers that he “expects transparency from his government, light on the facts, leads so that it does not happen again, and responsiveness”, hammered Olivia Grégoire. “I also have the opportunity to apologize and, in any case, to say that we are sorry,” she added, in response to one of the many questions on the subject at the end of the Council of Ministers.
“We must clarify what exactly happened”
“We could surely have done better, we must clarify what happened precisely”, repeated Olivia Grégoire several times. However, she recalled that Gérald Darmanin had “all the confidence” of President Emmanuel Macron, while the Minister of the Interior is the target of strong criticism from the opposition.
Saturday evening, chaos reigned around the Stade de France on the sidelines of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid: spectators without tickets climbing the gates, families and supporters sprayed with tear gas, supporters victims of theft or assaults. Incidents justified, according to Gérald Darmanin, by “30,000 to 40,000 English supporters without tickets, either with falsified tickets”.
Oppositions deem Darmanin’s statements false
This situation has, according to the authorities, led near the Stade de France to massive congestion, overflows and an intervention by the police, which did not cause any serious injuries. Since then, the controversy has not subsided, while the oppositions, from the far right to the far left, consider the assertions of Gérald Darmanin to be false.
On Europe 1 Wednesday morning, the president of senators LR Bruno Retailleau denounced “a scandalous affair” and the “lie” of Gérald Darmanin. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, meanwhile asked the minister to “leave”. Gérald Darmanin and the Minister of Sports Amélie Oudéa-Castera are heard by the Senate at 5 p.m. on the subject.