France mulls tougher sentences after PSG victory marred by violence

Malay Mail04-06-2025

PARIS, June 4 — French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Tuesday that he wanted tougher punishments for anyone convicted of violence against police, after clashes and car-torchings this weekend marred celebrations of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League triumph.
Police detained hundreds of people during festivities following PSG's victory in the European football showcase in Germany on Saturday and their triumphant return home the following day.
PSG thrashed Inter Milan by a record 5-0 scoreline in the final to win the biggest prize in European club football for the first time.
The victory sparked delirious celebrations in France, which were marred by some violence.
Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths.
In the south-western town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest, and a 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris died after a vehicle hit him.
Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic.
Some of these appeared in court on Monday, with three men in their early twenties receiving suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a €500 (RM2,420) fine, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
On Tuesday, eight people were sentenced to prison, with penalties ranging from a five-month suspended sentence to 15 months of imprisonment.
'Minimum' sentence
Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued that the first court sentences were not tough enough.
'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 said on X.
'The law needs to radically change,' he added.
Darmanin called for an end to the automatic softening of jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet.
He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up 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 Francois Bayrou said the weekend's scenes of unrest had been 'premeditated' and had 'exasperated millions of French people', and agreed 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'
But Aurelien Martini, deputy secretary-general of the magistrates union, responded that minimum sentences — previously tried from 2007 to 2014 — did not work.
If the goal is 'to put more people in prison, it's physically not possible', he said, alluding to overcrowding.
France's prison population hit a record high on May 1, with more than 83,600 inmates held in facilities that have a capacity of around 62,500, justice ministry data has shown.
Socialist leader Olivier Faure added that the judiciary should first and foremost be 'fair' and examine each individual case, not respond 'to collective emotion'.
The right-wing head of the Paris region Valerie Pecresse supported Darmanin's idea, saying it was the 'only hope for this violence, this ransacking to never happen again'.
Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee Palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called 'unacceptable' violence during the festivities.
Many of the stars of PSG, one of the youngest squads in the competition, are drawn from the huge football talent pool in the Paris suburbs.
A total of 11.5 million people tuned in across France to watch the match. — AFP

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Tudor dismisses end-of-season fatigue narrative, Juventus primed for Club World Cup challenge

New Straits Times

42 minutes ago

New Straits Times

Tudor dismisses end-of-season fatigue narrative, Juventus primed for Club World Cup challenge

PHILADELPHIA: Juventus manager Igor Tudor played down suggestions that his team are showing signs of end-of-season fatigue, insisting his players are motivated and ready to compete as they prepare to face Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in the Club World Cup on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Juventus opened their campaign with an emphatic 5-0 victory over UAE's Al Ain, and a win against Wydad would secure their progression to the next stage. Such a result would set up a highly anticipated Group G showdown with Manchester City on Thursday, likely to determine the group winners. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Tudor said he sees no signs of lethargy in his squad. "I don't see any signs of fatigue in the team; on the contrary, I see a lot of enthusiasm," he said. "It's a pleasure to see them enjoying playing together. They started the last match like it was a final. There's more confidence in them now, not just a little but a lot more. They're enjoying what we're building together, and that's a fantastic thing." Tudor, who took over in March following the dismissal of Thiago Motta, has overseen a remarkable turnaround at the Turin club. Juventus were floundering outside the Serie A top four and had been eliminated from all cup competitions when Tudor arrived. However, under his guidance, the team suffered just one further league defeat, finishing fourth to secure Champions League qualification. Reflecting on his tenure thus far, Tudor expressed pride in his players' professionalism and commitment. "I have great professionals who've been available from the first day to the last," he said. "There's been a lot of work behind the scenes, but we've also developed a better understanding of the game and what I ask of them as a coach." Despite the strong start in the Club World Cup, Tudor urged his squad to remain focused. "Juventus should be ambitious, but we must stay humble and work hard with our heads down," he said. "I always tell the players to focus on training and take each match as it comes. Maybe I bore them by saying it, but that's the mindset we need." Juventus' clash with Wydad Casablanca will be a key test of their progress under Tudor, with the Italian side looking to maintain momentum ahead of the knockout stages of the tournament.

Malay Mail

an hour ago

Malay Mail

Paris' giant Olympic balloon ascends again — setting the stage for a summer spectacle

PARIS, June 22 — A giant balloon that became a popular landmark over the skies of Paris during the 2024 Olympics rose again Saturday evening, as Parisians celebrated an annual street music festival. As locals danced to live music in and around the Tuileries garden in central Paris, the balloon made its return on a hot summer evening. Organisers are hoping it will once again attract crowds of tourists. During the Games, the Olympic cauldron was tethered to the balloon, flying above the Tuileries garden at sunset every day. Thousands flocked to see the seven-metre (23-foot) wide ring of electric fire. Last summer's version 'had been thought up to last for the length of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,' said Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the cauldron. After President Emmanuel Macron 'decided to bring it back, all of the technical aspects needed to be reviewed', he told AFP on Thursday. Lehanneur said he was 'very moved' that the Olympic balloon was making a comeback. 'The worst thing would have been for this memory to become a sitting relic that couldn't fly anymore,' he said. 'Make the flames dance' The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14 — a summer staple every year until the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 'For its revival, we needed to make sure it changed as little as possible and that everything that did change was not visible,' said Lehanneur. With a decarbonated fire patented by French energy giant EDF, the upgraded balloon follows 'the same technical principles' as its previous version, said director of innovation at EDF Julien Villeret. The balloon's return on Saturday kicks off a daily appearance each evening until September 14. — AFP pic The improved attraction 'will last ten times longer' and be able to function for '300 days instead of 30', according to Villeret. The creators of the balloon also reinforced the light-and-mist system that 'makes the flames dance', he said. Under the cauldron, a machine room hides cables, a compressor and a hydro-electric winch. That system will 'hold back the helium balloon when it rises and pull it down during descent', said Jerome Giacomoni, president of the Aerophile group that constructed the balloon. 'Filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium that is lighter than air,' the Olympic balloon 'will be able to lift around three tonnes' of cauldron, cables and attached parts, he said. The Tuileries garden is where French inventor Jacques Charles took flight in his first gas balloon on December 1, 1783. He followed in the footsteps of the famed Montgolfier brothers, who had just nine days earlier elsewhere in Paris managed to launch a similar balloon into the sky with humans onboard. The website is to display the times when the modern-day balloon will rise and indicate any potential cancellations due to weather. — AFP

Paris's giant Olympic balloon ascends again — setting the stage for a summer spectacle