PSG Hosts Barcelona as Scheduled Amid French Unrest; Fans Split Over Politics in the Stands

Since Saturday, Oct. 17, when Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez says authorities "lost control" of several major cities, the French government has been trying to keep public life running. Tuesday night's Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona was the first big test. It kicked off at the Parc des Princes at 9 p.m. local time as planned.

The match goes ahead

Nuñez said on Monday, after an emergency meeting with top government officials, that calling off planned events, including football matches, had been discussed. He said that "does not apply to tomorrow's match between PSG and FC Barcelona." He added that other European fixtures this week would also proceed, including Lille against Galatasaray on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in a northern city where looters hit shops over the weekend.

At the stadium, security checks at the gates were routine and the visible police presence was modest, according to Al Jazeera's reporting from outside the ground.

The pre-match picture was different. The Sun reported that about 5,000 officers, including special forces with water cannon and armoured vehicles, would be deployed across Paris. It also reported that police had been authorized to fly up to six drones over the capital. An unnamed Interior Ministry source quoted by the paper said violence was "likely to break out at any moment, especially when large crowds gather." The Sun also reported that officials weighed a last-minute curfew that would have forced the match behind closed doors. None of that happened.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had ordered prefects on Monday to impose "very limited" and "localized" curfews. He has since credited the targeted curfews with helping bring calm.

The scale of the unrest

The violence hit city halls, other public buildings and hundreds of businesses. Arrests have passed 2,000. The unrest grew out of a weeks-long student movement demanding smaller classes, more teachers and a more equal education system. More than half a million people have joined the protests.

Nuñez offered his resignation on Sunday. President Emmanuel Macron refused it and told him to "take all necessary steps to ensure full transparency about the failures in planning and intelligence-gathering that led to the violence."

Protesters and rights groups accuse police of excessive force. They cite a 14-year-old, Eden, who suffered a broken jaw from a tear-gas grenade in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône. They also cite a 16-year-old, Mael, who lost sight in his right eye after being hit by a rubber-bullet launcher. The authorities defend the police response and point to hundreds of injured officers. The police oversight body, the IGPN, had opened 34 investigations into alleged police violence as of last week.

Politics in the terraces

The fight over politics in football started before the riots. On Oct. 10, against Le Mans, the Collectif Ultras Paris unfurled a banner reading "Your militia represses, our youth resists." Stadium security ordered it removed. A large part of the Auteuil stand walked out before halftime and came back for the second half. Similar displays appeared in the stands at Marseille and Lens.

On Oct. 15, the French Football Federation's ethics body urged supporters to keep political messages out of venues.

Fans outside the ground on Tuesday were split. "Everyone is free to express their opinions, and if the supporters' club, with everything that's going on, wants to show its support for the students, then fine," said Frederique, 52, a bank employee.

Adrien Ridon, 34, a construction worker, disagreed. "I think football and politics are two completely different things," he said. He added that cancelling the match "would have made fans like us very sad."

Players and clubs

PSG coach Luis Enrique declined to weigh in. "I'm not the right person to speak about this topic. I'm here to speak about football," he said. "For sure we don't like this violence but that is how it is in society." He said he was not scared.

One player's family member did speak. Tiziri Digne, partner of French defender Lucas Digne, wrote on social media: "Stop being shocked by a looted luxury store display window or a torched bus stop when there are much deeper issues affecting our society." She pointed to education, healthcare, police brutality, racism and inequality. She also noted that July 14, 1789, was "marked by riots, fires, destruction, looting, and many deaths." Her posts drew wide debate.

Official club stores in Marseille and Lille were among the businesses looted over the weekend.

What comes next

Lille hosts Galatasaray on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in a city that saw looting. On Sunday, Oct. 25, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints are scheduled to play at the Stade de France. The NFL says it would be its first regular-season game in Paris, and it has said the game remains on as planned.

Lecornu has said details of the curfew zones would be released separately. Macron's order for a full accounting of the planning and intelligence failures behind Saturday is still unanswered.