Magnificent images of joy, but also drama.
Celebrations at the end of the qualification of the Blues for the final of the 2022 World Cup, after their victory against Morocco (2-0), took place throughout France this Wednesday evening, from Lyon to Bordeaux, in passing through Marseille, Lille and the Champs-Élysées.
Some 10,000 police and gendarmes were mobilized across the country to supervise the supporters of the two teams - including 5,000 in Paris and the Paris region, five of them were injured during overflows.
If most of the gatherings took place without any particular incident, a teenager however lost his life in Montpellier, hit by a driver, and the police had to carry out 266 arrests throughout the territory.
A teenager mortally broke in Montpellier
The party ended in tragedy in the Hérault.
A teenager died on Wednesday evening in Montpellier, hit by a "driver" during victory celebrations, announced the Hérault prefecture.
Transferred to the hospital in absolute emergency, he died shortly after his medical treatment.
According to the deputy of Nupes de l'Hérault Nathalie Oziol, the facts occurred in the popular district of La Paillade and the victim was 14 years old, she indicated on Twitter, regretting that this "sporting event is ending in absolute tragedy.
I learn of the death of the 14-year-old boy broke in the #Paillade district in #Montpellier.
Immense sadness, a sporting event ends in absolute tragedy.
I extend my condolences to the family and remain at their disposal.
https://t.co/YzMfqSkoHy
— Nathalie Oziol (@NathalieOziol) December 14, 2022
The driver fled and "the vehicle was found near the scene of the accident and placed in sequestration", added the prefecture in a press release specifying that "the police investigation is progressing rapidly under the direction of the prosecution" .
According to our information, the gray card of the vehicle, a white C4 with a black roof, refers to a car garage.
The police are hopeful of finding the driver of the car quickly, and at this stage exclude any punitive expedition scenario.
The investigation was entrusted to the departmental security.
In Paris, 167 arrests
No surprise, as soon as the final whistle blew, thousands of supporters flocked to the Champs-Élysées to celebrate the victory of the Blues with their horns.
A few fireworks were fired, while those who came to celebrate were already dreaming of a third star, they were around 25,000, according to the Paris police headquarters.
VIDEO.
" We're in the final !
”: French supporters are very happy after the victory against Morocco
Nearly 2,200 civil servants and soldiers had been mobilized in the capital, and more particularly around the Champs-Élysées, to avoid any slippage.
Reinforced surveillance had been put in place in certain metro stations and several gates of the closed ring road to limit the influx of vehicles.
At the start of the match, several CRS trucks had positioned themselves in front of the luxury boutiques, Dior or Rolex in particular.
Crazy atmosphere on the Champs Élysées in Paris pic.twitter.com/8fNiafzOLE
— Mehdi ® (@skheifi) December 14, 2022
The forces of order massively deployed on the crowded axis and around framed the celebrations interspersed with small clashes, responding to jets of projectiles with charges and tear gas fire.
According to the police headquarters, communicated this Thursday at 7 a.m., there were 167 arrests in the Paris area, including 145 in Paris.
The arrests in the capital resulted in 110 police custody, including 24 minors.
In terms of damage, there are 14 burned cars in the agglomeration, including 3 in Paris.
A group of 47 people close to the ultra-right, who were preparing to join the Champs-Élysées after the match, were arrested and placed in police custody, in particular for carrying prohibited weapons, says a police source at the Parisian.
Fifteen of them are filed S.
The group was arrested in the 17th arrondissement of the capital during a check for "grouping to commit violence" and carrying prohibited weapons.
Several of these members were known to the police for their membership of movements close to the ultra-right, such as the Gud or Generation Identity.
In the Paris region, a few incidents
Several incidents are to be deplored in Île-de-France, in particular in Créteil (Val-de-Marne), where a fire started in a building by a mortar fire.
The police made several arrests.
In Seine-et-Marne, a few cars were set on fire at Mée-sur-Seine, Melun and Savigny-le-Temple.
Five people ended the evening in police custody in Fontainebleau: a 38-year-old man carrying a knife and a 16-year-old were first arrested for throwing glass bottles at police officers.
The latter used tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd that had formed.
Another 21-year-old man was arrested in the street when he had just assaulted a 54-year-old motorist.
A fourth, aged 25, outraged the equestrian brigade and rebelled during his arrest.
Finally, the fifth man, aged 46, was arrested after kicking the windows of a restaurant.
On the side of the Oise, some clashes occupied the police and ten people were arrested in total.
At the Place des Halles de Beauvais, the atmosphere was "pretty good-natured", notes a policeman, until a group of individuals fired fireworks towards the crowd.
Four people were arrested.
In Compiègne, two individuals were also arrested for throwing projectiles at a municipal police vehicle.
From Marseille to Bordeaux, jubilation in the streets
In the Old Port of Marseille, around 3,000 people gathered, without any notable incident being reported, just like in Nice where several thousand supporters celebrated the victory.
3000 people celebrated the victory of @equipedefrance against #Morocco on the Old Port of #Marseille pic.twitter.com/tQdDEYOOUJ
– France 3 Provence (@France3Provence) December 14, 2022
The inhabitants of Strasbourg and Lille did not hesitate to brave the negative temperatures to also meet, place Kléber for some and on the Grand-Place for others.
Many images of joy and fireworks circulated on social networks, and Marseillaises were sung at the top of their lungs.
There are thousands of French supporters singing the Marseillaise #FRAMAR #Lille The atmosphere is crazy @lavoixdunord pic.twitter.com/GtBQK919nv
— Adeline Mullet (@AdelineMllt) December 14, 2022
In Bordeaux, the Place de la Victoire was filled with people from the final whistle.
According to the prefecture, 2,500 people were there around 10:30 p.m., with no apparent overflow.
A few scattered incidents
The city of Lyon was the scene of scenes of jubilation and horn concerts.
But, shortly after the end of the match, “a group of far-right young people approached the supporters gathered on Place Bellecour.
There was a brawl and the police quickly intervened to repel the group and follow it,” according to a prefectural source.
#Lyon: the police are trying to intervene to disperse violent groups, apparently well prepared @lyonmag pic.twitter.com/w5G9FQwL0F
— Lyon Mag (@lyonmag) December 14, 2022
The prefecture reported seven arrests in total, including two among ultra-right activists.
The intelligence services, according to a note revealed by Europe 1, had anticipated the presence of the ultra-right in the street, linked to the presence of Morocco in the semi-finals.
Arrests were also reported in Avignon: 14 including eight for mortar fire, according to a police report.
Finally, in Annecy, an arrest took place after projectiles were thrown at the police and a man was evacuated to hospital, injured during a brawl, announces the prefecture of Haute-Savoie.
A police officer injured in the leg on the sidelines of the match in Avignon
A police officer mobilized last night during the security device deployed on the sidelines of the France-Morocco match was injured in the leg by a driver who refused to comply.
Before the start of the match, around 7:30 p.m., BMU motorcyclists wanted to control this driver who refused to stop and hit a police car positioned at the Mgnanen gate.
The police then descended to stop the driver who would have climbed onto the sidewalk to flee.
This is where a policeman was hit.
The 42-year-old driver who was on the run was arrested.
