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Paris police ‘criminal’ to fans: report

An independent report that threw academia into turmoil at May’s Champions League final claimed the police treatment of fans “constituted a criminal assault”.

The report also said UEFA’s “huge failure” had left thousands of supporters in severe congestion on the approach to the Stade de France, with those arriving at the grounds experiencing major problems with ticketing and turnstiles. It suggests that it was pushed against the surrounding fence as it caused a bottleneck.

Paris police have been targeted by local gangs ahead of the match between Liverpool and Real Madrid in the French capital on May 28, as well as supporters waiting to enter the venue. Tear gas was used on supporters in the fan zone miles away. over there.

The commission, led by Professor Phil Scranton, who headed the Hillsboro Independent Commission in the 1989 disaster that killed 97 Liverpool fans and was an advocate for the families affected, has established its own created a report of Mention fearing for their lives at night.

“The constant assault of fans by the police and the gratuitous use of tear gas against men, women and children confined to confined spaces was reckless and dangerous. ,” the report said.

“Police animosity before the match (fanzone and stadium approach), during the match (inside the stadium) and after the match (stadium, train station, city) demonstrated a collective mindset leading to violations of the Penal Code.”

“At the Stade de France, every aspect of UEFA’s responsibility for the safety of the stadium has been egregiously botched.

“The continued failure of crowd control has seriously compromised the health and well-being of our fans.

“It is clear from the statements of the fans that they have been put at risk by aggressive policing, ineffective safety measures and failure to implement a comprehensive stadium safety management plan based on risk management principles.

“Based on their understanding and first-hand experience of the Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool fans have prevented a deadly tragedy through collective action.”

According to the report, the organization of the final showed a lack of coordination between the various parties involved, with the Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics being held at the Stade de France and St Petersburg being stripped. After that, the event was awarded in February. Concerns about this event were the “multiple malfunctions” they identified and the presence of local criminal gangs, which are likely to occur again.

Some of the report’s key findings are that fans remain traumatized by aggressive policing, inadequate preparation for crowd safety and event management, and gratuitous attacks by police and local gangs. We have identified that

Scranton, Emeritus Professor of Law at Queen’s University Belfast School of Law, said: “It is difficult to comprehend the chain of events that constituted the debacle in Paris, and that so many people were injured physically and mentally. It was damaged and financially compromised.

“Men, women and children were subjected to gratuitous and indiscriminate police violence, including knife-point robberies by local gangs, as well as attacks with tear gas and batons.

“Many people left before the game and those who remained came under further attack by riot police and gangs as they left the stadium and arrived at the local train station.

“The responsibility for the collapse of authority, control and security rests with those who organize and manage events.”

We have asked UEFA for comment.

Their own independent report on the scene that led to the match, which kicked off after being delayed 38 minutes by a large number of spectators, is set to be published next month. .

Paris police ‘criminal’ to fans: report

Source link Paris police ‘criminal’ to fans: report

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