Europe 1 with AFP 6:46 a.m., December 19, 2021
Tensions between Algerian supporters and the police marked the festivities in Paris on Saturday evening for Algeria's victory in the Arab Cup final.
On the avenue des Champs-Elysées, closed to supporters for the occasion, 25 people were arrested and 378 were fined.
Tensions between Algerian supporters and security forces marked the festivities for Algeria's victory in the final of the Arab Cup on Saturday evening in Paris, on the avenue des Champs-Elysées which had been banned from supporters by the authorities .
According to a midnight report, 25 people were arrested and 378 were fined for non-compliance with the prefectural decree or for traffic offenses (45), the Paris police headquarters said on Twitter.
The police dispersed the supporters who gathered and fined those who remained despite the dispersion, said a police source on Saturday evening.
At around 11:30 p.m., there were still a few supporters on the Champs-Elysées, without incident, this source added.
DIRECT - #PARIS: Despite the ban, many supporters have been celebrating #Algeria's victory over #ChampsElysees for more than 3 hours.
The police cannot # disperse individuals.
(Clément Lanot) #FIFArabCup # TUNALGpic.twitter.com / GwNtPYzi8F
- FLASH INFO Ile-de-France (@info_Paris_IDF) December 18, 2021
Police forces deployed in large numbers
After the first calm festivities, in the Parisian district of Barbes, several hundred Algerian supporters gathered on the sidewalks of the Champs-Elysées and traffic was very dense on the avenue.
Videos of journalists shared on Twitter showed several charges of the police to disperse young men, in the middle of onlookers and tourists on the Champs-Elysées illuminated for Christmas.
PARIS - The supporters take the direction of #ChampsElysees: they are blocked by the police.
# FIFArabCup # ALGTUN # Algerie # AlgerieTunisiehttps: //t.co/jAa2rOnS9Opic.twitter.com/Q3Wuo2RUjd
- Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) December 18, 2021
Algeria, the reigning African champion, won the Arab Football Cup for the first time by winning (2-0) against Tunisia on Saturday in Qatar in extra time.
The police had been deployed in large numbers on the sidewalks and around the Champs-Elysées.
The prefect of police had announced the establishment of a security perimeter within which the presence of supporters was prohibited.
The decree taken Thursday was "following the excesses that occurred during previous matches of this cup, during which many football supporters had gathered on the avenue des Champs-Elysées, invading the traffic lanes and sending projectiles, smoke and mortars in the direction of the police, "wrote the prefecture of police (PP).