May 31 (UPI) — Police in France arrested hundreds of people late Saturday after celebrations for the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team turned violent, local authorities said.<\/p>\n
Interior Minister Laurent Nu\u00f1ez said the riots injured 57 police officers in Paris and other cities across the country, The Guardian<\/a> reported. Some of the soccer fans also set fires, vandalized businesses and attempted to storm a Paris police station.<\/p>\n Police arrested 780 people and deployed tear gas to break up the riots, Politico<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n “Most of the celebrations took place peacefully, Nu\u00f1ez said, adding that most of the violent clashes took place near the Parc des Princes stadium where fans had gathered to watch the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal for the Champions League title.<\/p>\n French leaders took to social media to criticize the rioters and call for peace.<\/p>\n “Only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots,” far-right leader Marine Le Pen wrote in a post on X<\/a>. “Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence.”<\/p>\n Val\u00e9rie P\u00e9cresse, the head of the \u00cele-de-France region, said those involved in the riots should be punished.<\/p>\n