The way in which the French police treated the supporters during the final, on May 28, of the Champions League near the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, punctuated by incidents before and after the match, is a “criminal assault”. This is the conclusion of an independent British report published on Monday 17 October.
The report was written by Queen’s University Belfast law professor Phil Scraton, who previously led an investigation into the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 which claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool supporters after a crowd commotion. It lists the violent and arbitrary behavior of the police against supporters.
“The continuous and random police charges on supporters and the use of unwarranted tear gas on men, women and children trapped in very cramped spaces, was reckless and dangerous behavior. This constitutes a criminal assault”can we read. “The continued inability to manage the crowd has seriously endangered the health and well-being of supporters”continues the report which underlines that only the experience that certain supporters of the Reds had had in Hillsborough and their restraint allowed the balance sheet not to be counted in deaths.
Coming to see the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, Reds fans found themselves trapped by bottlenecks set up by the police who then used massive tear gas. The kick-off of the match had to be postponed for more than half an hour due to the incidents around the stadium.
“Aggressive police tactics”
While government figures had pointed the finger at English supporters as responsible, a Senate report had, on the contrary, judged in July that the chaos around the enclosure constituted a ” failure “ attributable to “decisions” local authorities. “It is clear from the testimonies that fans were put at risk by aggressive police tactics, ineffective security measures and the lack of a comprehensive stadium security management plan based on principles of risk assessment »points out the British report.
Paris had obtained the organization of the final in February after UEFA had withdrawn it in Saint Petersburg due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The Stade de France is due to host Rugby World Cup matches in 2023 as well as events during the 2024 Olympic Games.