Paris shops looted, woman dead after Algerian football fans run amok in France
- In Montpellier, an Algerian football supporter celebrating his team’s win lost control of his car and ran over a family, killing a woman
- Police used tear gas to disperse people who had gathered in Paris, where two stores were looted
Shops in central Paris were looted and a woman was killed in a high-speed car crash in southern France in what the government slammed Friday as “unacceptable” unrest following a key victory for Algeria’s national football team.
Fans of the Algerian team flocked to the Champs-Elysees in central Paris and the Vieux Port area in Marseille late Thursday after their side defeated Ivory Coast on penalties to reach the semi finals of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Two stores near the Champs-Elysees in Paris were looted, including a motorcycle shop where people took helmets, gloves and even bikes, media reports said.
Police used tear gas to disperse thousands of people who had gathered in Paris. The same measures were used to scatter crowds in Marseille.
“The damage and incidents last night on the sidelines of the celebrations … are unacceptable,” Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said in a tweet.
“I hail the actions of the security forces in Paris and across the country to maintain order and contain the excesses,” he added.