French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday, June 3, his intention to push for tougher punishments for those convicted of “violence” against law enforcement officers, following a weekend of arrests during football celebrations.
Police detained hundreds of individuals during festivities celebrating Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Champions League victory in Germany on Saturday and their subsequent return home on Sunday. PSG’s record-breaking 5-0 win against Inter Milan marked their first-ever triumph in Europe’s premier club football competition.
The victory sparked widespread celebrations across France, but was also marred by instances of violence. The interior ministry reported that 563 people were arrested on Saturday night after over 200 cars were set ablaze and police clashed with youths. In Dax, a town in southwestern France, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest. Additionally, a 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris died after being struck by a vehicle.
Authorities detained 79 more individuals on Sunday night, including those allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, attempting to vandalize shops, and obstructing traffic. Some of these individuals appeared in court on Monday, with three hearings resulting in suspended sentences ranging from two to eight months, along with a €500 fine, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office. Approximately 20 more suspects were scheduled to be tried on Tuesday.
Darmanin, a potential candidate for the 2027 presidential election, argued that the initial court sentences were insufficient. “Some of the sentences for violence – including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property – are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing,” the former interior minister stated. “The law needs to radically change,” he added.
Darmanin called for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months, which allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet. He also called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and proposed a law establishing a “systematic minimum sentence” for those found guilty. He suggested “a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction.”
Prime Minister François Bayrou stated that the weekend’s unrest was “premeditated” and had “exasperated millions of French people,” agreeing that “minimum sentences” were a good idea. “The hardening of sentences linked to group and premeditated violence… needs to be starker,” he told parliament.
‘Physically not possible’
However, Aurélien Martini, deputy secretary-general of the magistrates union, countered that minimum sentences – previously implemented from 2007 to 2014 – were ineffective. If the goal is “to put more people in prison, it’s physically not possible,” he said, alluding to overcrowding in prisons.
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