France deploys 10,000 police to prevent riots in World Cup semi-final against Morocco
Overseas Network, December 14th. French Interior Minister Gerard Dalmanin announced on December 13th that 10,000 police and gendarmerie will be deployed across France on the evening of the 14th, 5,000 of whom will be in the Paris region to guard against the World Cup in Qatar. Probable fan riots in France-Morocco semi-final.
According to the “Parisian” report, on the 15th, the French team will compete with the Moroccan team for the World Cup finals. In France, immigrants from the Maghreb such as Morocco are an important part of the immigrant group. The French government expects law enforcement will have to contend with more fans flooding the streets than after the World Cup quarter-final, regardless of the outcome of the match. Therefore, the Ministry of the Interior will deploy 10,000 police officers throughout France, 5,000 of whom will be in the Paris region, especially along the Champs Elysees. The goal is to have a highly mobile law enforcement team that can quickly stop all street vandalism and attacks .
Gerard Dalmanan said that traffic on the Champs-Elysées will not be closed, but some ring roads may be closed at 18:30, and several metro stations and RER stations may be closed.
On the 10th, in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, Morocco defeated Portugal and France defeated England, and both advanced to the semi-finals. The law enforcement agencies mobilized 1,220 police and gendarmerie to strictly guard the public roads in Paris and its suburbs, and stepped up patrols at stations, especially the subway stations leading to the Champs-Elysées, to ensure the safety of people and property. On the evening of the 10th, French time, about 20,000 fans flocked to the Champs Elysees in Paris. Some revelers threw incendiaries at law enforcement officers, who responded with tear gas. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, 170 people were arrested across France that night, including about 100 in Paris.