As crowds celebrated Paris Saint-Germain’s historic Champions League victory, scenes of unrest unfolded across the capital and beyond. Authorities report 780 arrests nationwide, with the most severe incidents occurring in the heart of Paris.

The celebrations quickly turned chaotic. On the Champs-Élysées, a group of young individuals targeted a bus shelter, leading to a tense standoff with police officers attempting to disperse them. Near the Parc des Princes, law enforcement faced volleys of fireworks, prompting the use of tear gas and the first wave of detentions. Later in the evening, a fleet of shared bicycles was set ablaze, escalating tensions into full-blown confrontations between youth and security forces along the iconic avenue.

On the Paris ring road, the situation spiraled out of control. Motorcycles weaved recklessly through halted traffic, and pedestrians wandered freely among stationary vehicles. A 24-year-old motorcyclist lost his life after crashing into a concrete barrier erected to block the road. By dawn, a 17-year-old had been stabbed multiple times and remained in critical condition.

57 law enforcement officers injured

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez addressed the nation Sunday morning, confirming 57 police officers and gendarmes were injured across France. “We observed a significant increase in projectile launches and firework discharges targeting security forces during interventions,” he stated. In footage from the 8th arrondissement of Paris, an individual can be seen firing volleys of fireworks in rapid succession.

Unrest spread to nearly a dozen cities nationwide. In Grenoble, rioters ransacked and looted commercial properties. Over the course of the night, 780 individuals were taken into custody across France, with 457 remaining in police custody.