After Paris Saint-Germain’s victory in the Champions League final last week, the celebration quickly turned into chaos as violent rioters took advantage of the moment to unleash destruction across the French capital. Opportunistic mobs looted stores, set over 700 fires, and viciously attacked police officers, leaving one officer in an artificial coma and claiming two innocent lives. Yet, despite this violent nature of the riots, these lawless acts have been met with little more than a slap on the wrist.
Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to hold rioters accountable, the first group charged in connection with the recent violence is receiving little more than a slap on the wrist. Of the nearly 600 people arrested, four men, aged 20 to 22, admitted to attacking police officers but will not face any prison time. Instead, they’ve been handed small fines and, in some cases, ordered to attend “citizenship courses.”
“We will pursue, we will punish, we will be implacable,” Macron previously said.
During the riots, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death during a PSG street party, while a young male was killed in Paris when his scooter was hit by a car during PSG celebrations. A police officer was also left in a coma after being accidentally struck by fireworks.
One of the men whose charges were dismissed was 20-year-old Aurélien. During his court appearance, he admitted to firing fireworks at gendarmes near Place de la Concorde and acknowledged purchasing the banned fireworks on Snapchat, despite knowing their possession was illegal. He claimed he didn’t realize the fireworks could be dangerous and said he fired them at law enforcement officers out of “revenge” after they used tear gas to disperse a violent crowd. Aurélien received a suspended three-month sentence and a €500 fine for his actions.
Another individual, Bayo, told the court he discovered a mortar firework in a bush and was persuaded by someone else to launch it at the police. He claimed he acted “without malicious intent” and didn’t realize how dangerous it was. Despite this, he was given an eight-month suspended sentence, fined 500 euros, and ordered to complete a “citizenship course.”
The third individual, Ali, confessed to throwing a tear gas grenade at police on the Champs-Élysées. He claimed he was caught up in the mob mentality and wasn’t fully aware of what he was doing then. The Paris magistrates appeared persuaded by his explanation and handed down an eight-month suspended sentence along with a mandatory “citizenship course.”
Lastly, Brahim was arrested wearing a balaclava after launching a fireworks mortar in the direction of the police. He told the court he only intended to fire it over the officers, not at them. His family, including his mother, who wore a hijab, appeared in court to vouch for his character and spoke of his bright future in the healthcare field.
Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin said that, given the recent violent unrest, some of the current punishments for offenses like attacking law enforcement or destroying property are no longer severe enough to match the level of violence happening in the country.