Kid killed in Montpellier amid violence after France-Morocco game
Teenager died after being struck by a car, and there have been sporadic reports of rioting in numerous French cities.
Local police have reported that a 14-year-old kid has died after being hit by a car amid isolated acts of violence in a number of French cities following France’s World Cup semifinal victory over Morocco on Wednesday night.
In the southern city of Montpellier, the local government office said that police were looking for the owner of the automobile, which had been left nearby after the “severe collision,” and that it was being checked for fingerprints and other evidence.
The unidentified kid was rushed to the hospital but passed away soon after, according to the Hérault département. Witnesses claimed the driver struck two teenagers while speeding away as fans attempted to grab the French flag fluttering from his car window.
Michal Delafosse, the mayor of Montpellier, expressed his “great dismay” at the event, which apparently took place less than an hour after France defeated Morocco 2-0 to advance to their second straight World Cup final.
Despite the mostly calm post-game festivities, 262 individuals were detained nationally, with incidents reported in Marseille, Avignon, Annecy, Grenoble, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, and Paris, according to police and municipal authorities.
In the broader Paris area, more than 165 people were held, including 145 in the city of Paris, where an estimated 25,000 fans had assembled on the Champs-Élysées. Authorities said that five police officers were treated for minor injuries, mostly from pyrotechnics.
A group of roughly 40 far-right activists who were stopped by a police patrol and arrested for plotting to use violence and possessing prohibited weapons were among those held in Paris. Several of these individuals were already known to the authorities.
According to a police source, “They were plainly headed towards the Champs-Élysées seeking for trouble.” Stanislas Gaudon, a spokesman for the police union, told RMC radio that aside from “a few outbreaks of violence in Paris that were immediately brought under control,” the evening had been “quite tranquil” generally.