Two weeks after the incidents on the evening of May 28, before and after the Liverpool-Real Madrid Champions League final, the first reports highlight flaws in the reception and security arrangements put in place. But between France and the United Kingdom, certain crucial points concentrate all the tensions.
After hosting the Champions League finals in 2000 and 2006, the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris, was chosen at the end of February for the final of this 2022 edition, replacing the Saint-Petersburg Stadium. A decision made afterinvasion of Ukraine by the Russian army.
It is very likely that the Dionysian enclosure will no longer be selected for quite a while May 28 events tarnished the reputation of France in terms of organization. This is also one of the lessons of the government report submitted to the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, Friday, June 10: this (bad) evening is ” damage to the image of France “.
A look back at the various explanations delivered over the past two weeks.
Bad signage, disorganization, delinquency and counterfeit notes
Michel Cadot, interministerial delegate for the Olympic Games and major events, presented June 10 to Elisabeth Borne a 30-page report, relating to the incidents at the Stade de France. It confirms what the images and testimonies collected had depicted: defects in the signage for supporters coming by public transport, overloaded filtering points in the face of the influx of spectators and acts of delinquency around the stadium.
On this last point, the Bobigny prosecutor’s office has also announced the opening of an investigation into “theft, aggravated theft and aggravated violence” to deal with complaints made by foreign supporters who are victims of offences.
All the parameters brought together that evening gave rise to the scenes of chaos seen at the entrances to the stadium, with spectators without tickets climbing the gates and the police using tear gas against supporters of Liverpool, main victims in this nightmarish evening.
Michel Cadot means ” the poorly controlled influx of excess public, without tickets or with counterfeit tickets as the main source of clutter. An essential point on which views diverge on the French and British sides. However, the interministerial delegate calls for ” relativize » the version of Gérald Darmanin, a minister much criticized for two weeks.
Timid coaster, my culpa and rain of criticism
The Minister of the Interior had spoken of a ” massive, organized and industrial fraud » which would have allowed the arrival of « 30,000 to 40,000 UK fans without tickets or with fake tickets “. Gérald Darmanin and the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, maintained this version during their hearing in the Senate on June 1.
Since then, the figure of 35,000 counterfeit banknotes has been put forward. Nevertheless, these remarks have upset the British authorities and the Liverpool club, who reject such proportions and above all tackle the lack of organization.
Thursday, June 9, another major player in this file was heard by the Senate: the prefect of police of Paris, Didier Lallement. While the next day, the government report mentioned ” runtime issues in the law enforcement system (1,300 police officers mobilized on May 28), Didier Lallement acknowledged ” a failure and admitted that the counterfeit figures, which he provided to the Home Secretary, may not have been ” perfectly fair “.
Despite everything, the prefect of police, while recognizing a sometimes excessive use, assumed the use of tear gas on the supporters. It was ” the only police means to push back a crowd except to charge it “, saying to himself all the same ” sorry for people of good faith “. The government report mentions means ” disproportionate “.
Borne wants to “learn all the lessons”
Latest hiccups: the destruction of CCTV images of the Stade de France, seven days after the facts, for lack of requisition by justice. Same thing with the RATP images, automatically deleted after three days when they are not seized by the courts. Only SNCF images are still available. In the United Kingdom as in France, in particular in the ranks of the opposition, indignant criticism is increasing.
And now, what will happen? Difficult to determine, the auditions not being finished. Next week, the Senate must receive the SNCF and the RATP. The investigation for “thefts, aggravated thefts and aggravated violence” is only in its infancy. It is not yet known how many complaints have been filed in the United Kingdom, while the Liverpool club, believing its supporters to be unfairly designated as scapegoats, asked them to testify to their experience in Saint-Denis. Thousands of them have already spoken.
For his part, the real Madrid called for ” determine who is responsible of the chaotic scenes at the Stade de France. Even if Didier Lallement insisted, during his hearing in the Senate, that he is ” the sole operational manager of public order in the Paris conurbation “, no decision has been made for the time being.
Elisabeth Borne wants this failed evening to serve as a lesson for France. It takes ” learn all the lessons in his words, as the country is set to host the Rugby World Cup next year (September 8 to October 28, 2023) and the Olympics in two years (July 26 to August 11, 2024).
(With AFP)