- 3 hours ago
Europe Today: PSG's Champions League triumph marred by violence across France
Paris Saint-Germain's historic Champions League victory was marred by violence this weekend. As celebrations spread across France, so did clashes between football fans and police leading to nearly 800 arrests, more than 200 injured and one dead. Euronews' Jerry Fisayo Bami reports on this story.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/01/europe-today-psgs-champions-league-triumph-marred-by-violence-across-france
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Paris Saint-Germain's historic Champions League victory was marred by violence this weekend. As celebrations spread across France, so did clashes between football fans and police leading to nearly 800 arrests, more than 200 injured and one dead. Euronews' Jerry Fisayo Bami reports on this story.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/06/01/europe-today-psgs-champions-league-triumph-marred-by-violence-across-france
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:14Good morning, it is Monday the 1st of June. I'm Maeve McMahan and this is Europe Today.
00:20Your morning dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews.
00:25Coming up, EU enlargement is in the spotlight. Council President Antonio Costa heads to the
00:31Western Balkans today for a five-day visit, culminating in a special summit in Montenegro
00:36this Friday. The small Balkan nation says it is ready to become the next country to join the
00:42European Union, but EU members need to make up their mind. Meanwhile, Malta's Labour Party has
00:47secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in office, delivering a major victory for Prime
00:53Minister Robert Abella. The snap vote this weekend was called a year ahead of schedule amid concerns
00:59over the impact of the Middle East crisis on tourism and rising inflation. Plus, China has warned Brussels
01:06against imposing new trade restrictions following talks here aimed at addressing Beijing's industrial
01:12overcapacity. The EU says its trade relationship with China is no longer sustainable and that
01:17stronger measures are needed to protect European industries from a surge in Chinese imports.
01:22But first, Paris Saint-Germain's historic Champions League victory was marred by violence this weekend.
01:28As celebrations spread across France, so did clashes between football fans and police,
01:33leading to nearly 800 arrests, more than 200 injured and one dead linked to the instance.
01:38The French President Emmanuel Macron is furious.
01:44Unfortunately, we've seen and I don't want us to get used to it and nobody wants us to get used
01:49to it
01:49scenes of unacceptable violence in Paris and other cities. This isn't about football. This isn't about
01:55sport. It's because we like it. So thank you to our police officers. There will be no flexibility
02:00for those who have been caught. We don't want to see this anymore. Enough. We had it. It's over.
02:06Terminator.
02:08For more on what exactly happened and why these scenes have become a reoccurring challenge for authorities,
02:13we're joined here in the studio by Euronews' Gerry Fisayo-Bambi, who's been following the story for us all weekend.
02:18Good morning and thanks for being here. And look, it's just not the first time we've seen this kind of
02:22violence.
02:23What are the root causes?
02:25Dave, first off, what a big Champions League final weekend we saw.
02:29Axel to both sides, Arsenal and PSG. They gave us a very good match. Maybe not a very good match,
02:35considering the nature of how things played out. But 120 minutes of football and congratulations to Arsenal
02:43for putting up a formidable performance. Congrats to PSG for becoming the only side to win the Champions League title,
02:52to retain the title for the second time back-to-back. Unfortunately, that's not what we're talking about now.
02:59The news has been overshadowed by the ugly and chaotic scenes that we saw in Paris.
03:05Arrests have been made. 800 arrests have been made. But interestingly, they're not hardcore football fans.
03:11So these were simply fans or rioters or people who were just exploiting this situation or the occasion to form
03:20in trouble.
03:20And it is not the first time we're seeing it in France. And you need to look at it within
03:24the wider context of oligarchism in France
03:28and urban riots in France. We've seen the Jules Jules protests, the Yellow Vest protests, the pension reform protests.
03:38So over the last decades, we've seen a lot of protests in France.
03:42And it just seems that the violence that we're witnessing is such that, you know, it's occurring within this society
03:50in a way that reflects wider disparity or wider issues regarding policing, trust in public institutions and inequality.
04:00And how can it be put to an end? We saw earlier how the French President Emmanuel Macron was so
04:04upset
04:04to see how this dampened the celebrations all through the weekend.
04:07Well, I think the French authorities have been doing their best. Let's bring in facts here.
04:13Look, with regards to law enforcement, over the weekend and in anticipation of the final itself,
04:19authorities deployed some 20,000 police officers across the country.
04:24In Paris, the capital alone, there were 8,000 police officers.
04:28And this was because if you look at even last year when this violence celebration happened last year
04:37when PSG won their first ever Champions League title at the time, the anticipation had been there.
04:43But even at that, this did not curtail the violence that took place.
04:47So when we talk about the federations, UEFA itself has been working with the countries,
04:56with the supporters, the local authorities.
04:58And they have, since 2012 and 2013, they've required clubs to have a liaison officer
05:05to coordinate some of these things, the coordination between the fans, the supporters
05:11and the local authorities and police.
05:13I think it's worked in some places.
05:15But the question for France is really about, is this about football hooliganism
05:20or is this about urban riots and something that reflects a much deeper problem?
05:26And I think going forward, you need to look at, can we have faster prosecutions?
05:31Can they have, can authorities also deploy new measures?
05:35Or maybe stricter penalties, you know, stricter punishments that will make a deterrent
05:41for many who would want to go into this and think twice.
05:44Indeed, it's certainly not a problem that will go away overnight.
05:46Jerry, thank you so much for your analysis there.
05:49And also actually in France, the former French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal,
05:52has kicked off his presidential election campaign with a huge rally in Paris.
05:57He's vowing to move beyond the Macron era and reform a system that he says
06:01is no longer delivering for the French people.
06:04For more on that story, you can visit euronews.com.
06:06But now, moving on.
06:08After a successful visit to Brussels, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Petr Maillard,
06:12managed to unfreeze the billions of unfrozen funds for his country.
06:16But, and there's a big but, he will have to complete a long list of reforms before the
06:21bank transfer is actually made.
06:23For more, we can head to Budapest, where Euro News' Joltan Ziboshegi is standing by for us
06:27this morning.
06:28So tell us, Joltan, Hungary still faces huge hurdles to unlock these billions.
06:32Will they manage?
06:36Good morning, Europe, today.
06:38Yes, as you mentioned, we are talking about 16.4 billion euros, what is the biggest financial
06:44pact in the modern Hungarian history.
06:46I talked with several decision makers, and they really agreed with each other that they
06:52tried to rebuild the budget and the country from step by step, as they mentioned, from
06:57brick to brick.
06:58And the most important mission, what they tried to manage, is to agree about these funds.
07:05And actually, they managed it.
07:06This is what they know so far, and they don't have a proper action plan for the rest of the
07:11year.
07:12The only one thing what they know, that they promised Brussels to end up for the corruption.
07:18Most of the opposition parties, mostly the PIDES, the ex-government party, demanded to make
07:24it public what Peter Magyar promised to Ursula von der Leyen, what he sacrificed.
07:30But he replied that the only thing what he promised is that he will end up the PIDES corruption.
07:36There are, of course, some critical points.
07:38For example, there is not enough money in the budget, in the terrible-shaped budget for the
07:44pension and tax reforms.
07:45And, of course, one of the most hot topics is migration, because for 10 years, the government
07:51was campaigning against migration, and people are a little bit xenophobic, so it's a really
07:55sensitive topic.
07:56And just very briefly, we've seen also Peter Magyar turning up the pressure on the president,
08:00calling on him to resign.
08:02Tell us more.
08:04So, actually, now he is in the Alexander's Palace, in the presidential palace, trying to convince
08:10the president to step down, because yesterday he announced that he's not going to step down.
08:15And, of course, here in Hungary, the president has symbolic power, but still, it can destroy
08:21the plans of the Fidesz party, because they have just three months for all the reforms, and he
08:27can block it, or at least he can make it slower, because he has a political veto.
08:33And it's really difficult to remove him, because the parliament can impeach him, but the last
08:39one thing that says is actually the constitutional court and the judges of the constitutional court
08:46still are the people of the Fidesz party.
08:48Okay, Joltan Ziboshegi, thank you so much for that live update there. From Budapest, and now
08:53for the view from a former European commissioner that was actually in charge of rule of law
08:56and values, we're joined by Vera Jórova, the Czech politician who was vice president of
09:01the European Commission until 2024. Great to have you with us here in the studio.
09:05Good morning, thank you for having me.
09:07And, of course, you're very familiar with the issues in Hungary. You've followed them for
09:10many years as vice president there. Hungary now has a new government. Viktor Orban seems
09:15to have disappeared. Your view on this new era? Well, I was happy, I have to say, after
09:20the elections. Not only that Viktor Orban is leaving after so many years, and after what
09:27he has done to Hungarians. But I was happy that the democratic system worked. Changing of
09:35the guards happened in Budapest. And Peter Maia, the new prime minister, he was here in Brussels.
09:41There was a deal struck. He was here on Friday. They managed to unlock the funds.
09:45But he has a long list of reforms to do. Will he manage? It seems like mission impossible
09:49there, if you listen to our correspondent.
09:51He has a long list of things to do in a very short time, because most of the money should
09:58be used, committed and invested by August this year. So this is a very short deadline.
10:06Yes, a long list of things which should not be surprising. Yeah, because European taxpayers
10:13were urging us in the commission to do more to protect the money going to Hungary, not to
10:20pay the gifts for Viktor Orban's families and friends.
10:25And there's a three month deadline here. What happens if they don't reach the deadline?
10:28Well, I think that it is feasible to do some reforms in case the legislative process is fast. Of
10:38course, it would be difficult to fulfill something which needs more preparations. But as I said,
10:45Hungarians, the current government is not surprised. These are not new requests from Brussels.
10:51What will be the hardest? I think there are there are things relating to the judiciary independence
10:59and division of powers between different layers of justice system. They should do changes in media
11:07wealth. And should more have been done before by the previous commission that you were in?
11:13We tried to convince Orbán's government to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office. This was the main
11:26thing I wanted them to do, because to protect the EU money.
11:30But they never listened to you. They didn't trust you. They didn't like you.
11:33You know, they didn't believe that this will go without any reaction if they didn't join. But they,
11:41after that, the reaction on it was the mechanism to freeze the money when the money is not protected
11:47enough. Another thing Hungary, of course, under Orbán was blocking was Ukraine's membership.
11:52This week, we're seeing António Kosz in the Western Balkans trying to put momentum on their
11:56potential membership. What is your view here? Who should be the next member to join the European Union?
12:00I spoke in recent weeks to many Western Balkan people, and they are fed up to be
12:08what, 20 years in the waiting room? There must be some move. And over time, I see that more and
12:16more we need them to join, then they need Europe. This is obvious that we need to have courage to
12:23grow
12:23politically, geographically. We are under big pressure from outside.
12:26If you were a commissioner right now, that's my question. What would keep you up at night?
12:32What would keep me up at night? The state of democracy and rule of law in Europe in general.
12:39That's why, by the way, I'm here because I am launching today with my team the new project
12:45Democracy 27, which is a citizens' initiative and which would complement what the commission is doing.
12:51But would it be China, Russia, Trump?
12:54In international foreign policy, honestly, it's the United States, which scares me.
13:02For you, Rova, thank you so much for coming into us here on Europe Today.
13:06Now, moving on, the United Nations will be meeting this Monday for a talks called by France to discuss
13:11the latest Israeli offensive in Lebanon that saw the capture of Beaufort Castle in the south of the
13:16country. It comes, as Lebanese authorities say, the death toll in the country since early March is
13:21now over 3,371. For more, we can head now to Dubai and bring in our regional correspondent,
13:27Jane Witherspoon. Jane, tell us more about this escalation in Lebanon.
13:36Yes, as you mentioned, over the weekend, Israel has taken control of Beaufort Castle in southern
13:43Lebanon. It's a move that has been condemned by France. They're calling for that UN Security
13:48Council meeting that you mentioned. The Israeli flag is now flying high above that medieval fortress.
13:56This is the deepest incursion in the country in almost a quarter of a century.
14:01Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the capture of the castle
14:07marks a dramatic turning point in Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
14:13And meanwhile, we're hearing President Trump, Jane, saying he wants to make a deal with Iran,
14:17but at the same time, the U.S. military has struck a commercial ship. Fill us in on all these
14:21details.
14:26That's correct. Yes, the U.S. military struck that commercial ship trying to
14:31enter Iran earlier in the morning. U.S. Central Command have said the Gambia-flagged cargo ship
14:37ignored around more than 20 warnings. In fact, it was eventually stopped when the U.S. forces fired a
14:45missile into its engine room. And this, of course, comes as hostility has resumed across the region
14:52over recent days. And of course, the world is waiting with bated breath to see if that ceasefire deal can
14:58be negotiated. Okay, Jane Witherspoon, thank you so much for that live update there from Dubai. And we
15:04can move on now. Romania's President Nikosho Dan has released proof that the drone which hit a
15:09residential building in Galatsch last weekend, or last week, was a Russian drone. He says Moscow is, quote,
15:15solely responsible. For the view from the European Space Agency on their role here in defense and
15:20security, Euronews' Lauren Walker sat down with the head of the European Space Agency, Joseph Ashbacher.
15:26We are not a military organization. We are a space agency. And as a space agency, we develop technology
15:33that can be utilized by other users, including the defense community. So our job and my job is to,
15:38first of all, define together on the basis of requirements from the security defense communities
15:45or other users to define the space infrastructure that is needed in order to help them collecting
15:51information, communicating, navigating, and really being sure that they have the tools that space can
15:56provide for their defense purposes.
16:01And you can catch the rest of that interview on Euronews. But now I'd like to bring in the Romanian
16:06diplomat and politician Mircea Giovanna, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO until 2024,
16:11and now one of the country's most prominent voices on security and defense. So good morning, sir. Thank
16:16you so much for being with us here on Europe Today. First, everyone's wondering what the situation now
16:21is like in Galatia is like in Galatia, and do people feel safe?
16:25You know, the shock of the Russian incursion and explosion on a block of apartments in Galatia is
16:34still here with us. Just for our viewers to see, Galatia is a big city, industrial city on the Danube.
16:42On the other side of the river, there is Ukraine. And Russia is constantly attacking
16:49infrastructure on the Ukrainian side. And a few times, and this was the most severe incident,
16:54they crossed the border, the airspace of Romania, NATO country. And that's why in Galatia,
17:00in the Danube Delta, there is a little bit of concern that has been accumulated in time in the
17:05four years and something before.
17:06And Romania's air force couldn't intercept this drone. Why is that?
17:11You know, a Romanian pilot, an F-16 pilot shot down a drone in Estonia just a few days back.
17:17They
17:17didn't have enough time and space to shoot. And the question is, whether you shoot a drone,
17:25do you need an F-16, do you need an F-35, do you need a missile which is so
17:31expensive? So I think the
17:32lesson from this, and I think we should have learned it all over the eastern flank of
17:36NATO sooner, is that you need adequate anti-drone sensors, anti-drone equipment,
17:44faster procurement systems, because these things change so fast. The innovation cycle for drone war
17:50is changing so fast that I think our systems are robust, but sometimes there is basically this
17:56balance between the kind of assets we have and the kind of needs we actually have for such incidents.
18:02Because if this happened once, it's going to happen again. And Romania is clearly not prepared for
18:05these kind of frequent drone incursions. We have a specific geographical situation,
18:11as I mentioned, it's basically very close. So I think we have to find adequate solutions,
18:15you know, acoustic sensors. This is something that technology exists. You know, anti-drone systems,
18:20this technology exists. The question that we have to procure so much for everything,
18:26from high intensity or, you know, high level gear, let's say lower end technology like this one is
18:33needed. And I think we have to really prioritize better and internalize the lessons learned from
18:38Iran and from Ukraine, because the two fusion of lessons learned, and I think that to do much better,
18:43not only Romania, but I think we see such incidents all along the eastern flank, especially
18:48the countries neighboring Ukraine, like Romania is.
18:51And what would be the next step? And with the support of NATO here, of course,
18:55if this happens again and escalates?
18:57You know, I think we have to do a much better effort to try to find the right kind of
19:04air and
19:04missile defense for NATO in general. So if for mid altitude and high altitude, let's say there are
19:12some things in place, Patriot missiles, you know, the F-16s, the F-35s, NATO operations,
19:19for this basically low altitude things, we are still letting the kind of adequate means.
19:25They do exist on the market, you can acquire them. The only thing is that you have to put your
19:30right priorities in the right place, try to make sure that you keep up with the innovation cycle,
19:35this electronic jamming, this don't change basically every other few months. But I think
19:41we have to do a much, much faster cycle of procurement and adaptation to this new world.
19:45Okay. Thank you so much for that, for joining us here this morning. And that does bring this
19:51edition of Europe Today to an end for more news and analysis. As always, you can visit
19:55euronews.com or you can drop us a line or an email at europetoday at euronews.com.
20:00Thanks so much for watching, take care, and see you soon.
20:04We've got peace.
Comments