There are many instances in which statements and remarks made by politicians or institutions have not aged well. That is especially true in the internet age, when everything once published tends to remain online permanently. That is exactly what happened to the European Commission’s 7 May post on X, which is now being widely mocked by users after violent riots erupted in Paris over the weekend following Paris Saint-Germain’s second consecutive UEFA Champions League victory.
The post originally referred to the Commission’s growing focus on what it described as the ‘battle of narratives’—the idea that foreign actors, disinformation networks, conspiracy theories, and online influence campaigns increasingly shape how Europeans perceive reality, democracy, and the state of their societies. Using the popular tinfoil hat meme, the Commission sought to suggest that dystopian portrayals of Europe—represented in the post by a ‘ruined’ Paris—are often the result of manipulated narratives spread by conspiracy theorists.
‘It is time to act to tell the stories that make us strong. Let’s live our own story!’ the post concluded.
However, the post is now facing backlash and ridicule after—as many anticipated—Paris witnessed violent riots following PSG’s Champions League victory over Arsenal in the Budapest final on 30 May after a penalty shootout. What the Commission had framed as a dystopian image of the French capital existing only in the minds of conspiracy theorists hostile to so-called European values appeared to become reality over the weekend.
While celebrating the defence of the most prestigious title in European club football, tens of thousands gathered across Paris, particularly around the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Parc des Princes. The celebrations soon escalated into riots, looting, arson, and violent clashes with police.
According to French authorities, between 780 and 890 people were arrested nationwide, while at least 219 civilians and between 57 and 178 police officers were injured. Several shops were vandalized, cars and bicycles were set on fire, and one group reportedly attempted to storm a police station in Paris. At least one person died during the unrest, while several others suffered serious injuries. French authorities deployed around 22,000 police officers nationwide.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence as ‘unspeakable’, declaring that France was ‘fed up’ with such scenes and promising that authorities would be ‘ruthless with those who have been caught’. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the situation had been ‘largely brought under control’, while acknowledging that disturbances had occurred in around 15 cities.
Leader of the right-wing anti-immigration National Rally (RN) Marine Le Pen stated that ‘only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots’, while Île-de-France regional president Valérie Pécresse denounced the ‘brainless thugs’ who had tarnished the image of both Paris and France.
According to footage circulating on social media, many of the rioters appeared to be either migrants or individuals of immigrant background. In one viral recording, African migrants filmed themselves celebrating near the Arc de Triomphe while claiming they had conquered France ‘faster than the German Army in 1940’, mockingly chanting Marine Le Pen’s name and boasting that they now ‘own the city’.
The footage from Paris prompted users to revisit the Commission’s 7 May post in order to mock what many described as Brussels’ enormous own goal. Numerous users sarcastically reposted the meme alongside real footage from the riots, arguing that what Brussels had dismissed as a dystopian fantasy had instead become reality. ‘The conspiracy theorists were right again,’ one widely shared reply stated, while another user wrote: ‘Turns out the tinfoil hat was actually a crystal ball.’
Others accused the Commission of being detached from everyday concerns, posting comments such as ‘Europeans can see Paris with their own eyes’ and ‘This aged like milk in record time.’ One user jokingly suggested that the Commission had accurately predicted PSG’s Champions League victory a month in advance.
Similarly, identical scenes unfolded last year after PSG won its first-ever Champions League title. At the time, more than 500 people were arrested across France, hundreds of vehicles were set on fire, widespread clashes broke out with police, and at least two people lost their lives during the celebrations.
Related articles: