El triunfo del PSG en la Champions desata una espiral de violencia y disturbios en Francia

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:02][music] [music] >> Good morning. It is Monday the 1st of June. I'm Maeve McMahon and this is Europe today.

[00:00:20]>> [music] >> Your morning dose of European news and analysis live here on Euronews. Coming up, EU enlargement is in the spotlight.

[00:00:28][music] Council President Antonio Costa heads to the Western Balkans today for a five-day visit culminating in a special summit in Montenegro this Friday. The small Balkan nation says [music] it is ready to become the next country to join the European Union, but EU members need to make up their minds. Meanwhile, Malta's [music] Labour Party has secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in office delivering a major victory for Prime Minister Robert [music] Abela. The snap vote this weekend was called a year ahead of schedule amid concerns over the impact of the Middle East crisis on tourism and rising inflation. Plus, China has warned [music] Brussels against imposing new trade restrictions following talks here aimed at addressing Beijing's industrial overcapacity. The EU [music] says its trade relationship with China is no longer sustainable and that stronger measures are needed to protect European industries from a surge in Chinese [music] imports. But first, Paris Saint-Germain's historic Champions League victory was marred by violence this weekend. As celebrations spread across France, so did clashes between football fans and police >> [music] >> leading to nearly 800 arrests, more than 200 injured, and one dead linked to the instance. The French President Emmanuel Macron is furious.

[00:01:42]>> Malheureusement, on a vu >> Unfortunately, we've seen and I don't want us to get used to it and nobody wants us to get used to it scenes of unacceptable violence in Paris and other cities. This isn't about [music] football. This isn't about sport. It's because we like it. So, thank you to our police officers. There will be no flexibility for those who have been caught. We don't want to see this anymore. Enough. We had it. It's over.

[00:02:06]>> Terminated.

[00:02:07]>> For more on what exactly happened and why these scenes have become a recurring challenge for authorities, we're joined here in the studio by Euronews' Jerry Fisayo Bambi, who's been following the story for us all weekend. Good morning and thanks for being here. And look, it's just not the first time we've seen this kind of violence. What are the root causes?

[00:02:24]>> May I first of all, what a big Champions League final we saw. Hats off to both sides, Arsenal and PSG. They gave us a very good match. Maybe not a very good match.

[00:02:36]I mean, considering the nature of I mean the how things played out. But 120 minutes of football and congratulations to Arsenal for putting up a formidable performance. Congrats to to to PSG for becoming the only side to win the Champions League title to retain the title and for the second time back-to-back. Unfortunately, that's not what we're talking about now.

[00:02:58]The news has been overshadowed by the ugly and chaotic scenes that we saw in Paris. Arrests have been made. 800 arrests have been made. But interestingly, they're not hardcore football fans. So, these were simply fans or rioters or people who were just exploiting the situation or the occasion to to form in trouble. And it is not the first time we've seen it in in France.

[00:03:23]And you need to look at it within the wider context of of hooliganism in France and urban riots in France. And we've seen the yellow the yellow protest, the yellow vest protest, the pension reform protest. So, over the last decades, we've seen a lot of protests in France. And it just seems that the violence that we're witnessing is such that you know, it's occurring within the society and it a way that reflects wider disparity or wider issues regarding policing, trust in public institutions, and inequality.

[00:04:00]>> And how can it be put to an end? We saw earlier how the French president Emmanuel Macron was so upset to see how this dampened the celebrations all through the weekend.

[00:04:07]>> Well, I think they've the French authorities have been doing their best. Let's bring it bring in facts here. Look, with regards to law enforcement, over the weekend and in anticipation of the final itself, authorities deployed some 20,000 police officers across the country. In Paris, the capital alone, there were 8,000 police officers. And this was because if you look at even last year when this violent happened violence celebration happened last year when PSG won their first-ever Champions League title at the time.

[00:04:42]The anticipation had been there, but even at that this did not curtail the the violence that took place. So, when we when we talk about the the federations, UEFA itself has been working to to to to to with the with the countries, with the supporters, the the local authorities. And they have since 2012 and 2013 season, they've required clubs to to have a liaison officer to to coordinate, you know, some of these things the coordination between the fans, the supporters, and and the local authorities, and police.

[00:05:13]I think it's worked in some places, but the question for France is really about is this about football hooliganism or is this about urban riots and something that reflects a much deeper problem. And I think going forward, they would need you need to look at can we have faster prosecutions? Can they have Can authorities also deploy new measures like or maybe stricter penalties, you know, stricter punishments that would make a deterrent for many who would want to go into this and think twice.

[00:05:44]>> Indeed, it's certainly not a problem that will go away overnight, Tariq. you so much for your analysis there. And also actually in France, the former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has kicked off his presidential election campaign with a huge rally in Paris.

[00:05:57]He's vowing to move beyond the Macron era and reform a system that he says is no longer delivering for the French people. For more on that story, you can visit euronews.com. But now, moving on.

[00:06:08]After a successful visit to Brussels, the Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar managed to unfreeze the billions of unfrozen funds for his country. But, and there's a big but, he will have to complete a long list of reforms before the bank transfer is actually made. For more, we can head to Budapest where euronews' Zoltán Gyimesi is standing by for us this morning. So, tell us Zoltán, Hungary still faces huge hurdles to unlock these billions. Will they manage?

[00:06:36]>> Good morning Europe today. Yes, as you mentioned, we are talking about 16.4 billion euros, which is the biggest financial packed in the whole of the Hungarian history.

[00:06:47]Uh I talked with several decision-makers and they really agreed with each other that they tried to rebuild the budget and the country from step-by-step, as they mentioned from brick to brick. And the most important mission what they tried to manage is to agree about these funds. And actually, they managed it. This is what they know so far and they don't have a proper action plan for the rest of the year. The only one thing what they know that they promised to uh Brussels to end up with the corruption. Uh most of the opposition parties, mostly the Fidesz, the ex-government big party, uh demanded to make it public uh what Peter Magyar promised Ursula von der Leyen, what he sacrificed. But he replied that the only thing what he promised is that he will end up the Fidesz corruption. There are, of course, some critical points. For example, there is not enough money in the budget, in the terrible shape budget uh for the pension and tax reforms and of course the one of the most hot topic is migration because for 10 years the government was campaigning against migration and people are a little bit xenophobic so it's a really sensitive topic.

[00:07:57]>> And just very briefly we've seen also Peter Magyar turning up the pressure on the president calling on him to resign.

[00:08:02]Tell us more.

[00:08:04]>> So actually now he is in the Alexander's Palace in the presidential palace try to convince the president to step down because yesterday he announced that he not going to step down and of course here in Hungary the president has symbolic power but still it can destroy the plans of the Fidesz party because they have just three months for all the reforms and he can block it or at least he can make it slower because he has a political veto and it's really difficult to remove him because the parliament can impeach him but the last one thing what saves is actually the constitutional court and the and the judges of the constitutional court still are the people of the Fidesz party.

[00:08:48]>> Okay Zoltan Gyimesi, thank you so much for that live update there from Budapest and now for the view from a former European Commissioner that was actually in charge of rule of law and values.

[00:08:57]We're joined by Vera Jourova the Czech politician who was vice president of the European Commission until 2024. Great to have you with us here in the studio.

[00:09:05]>> Good morning. Thank you for having me.

[00:09:07]>> And of course you're very familiar with the issues in Hungary you've followed them for many years as vice president there. Hungary now has a new government.

[00:09:13]Viktor Orban seems to have disappeared.

[00:09:15]Your view on this new era.

[00:09:17]>> Well I was happy I have to say after the elections not only that Viktor Orban is leaving after so many years and after what he has done to to Hungarians but I was happy that the democratic system worked.

[00:09:34]Changing of the guards happened.

[00:09:37]>> And in Budapest >> And Peter Magyar, the new Prime Minister, he was here in Brussels. There was a deal struck. He was here on Friday. They managed to unlock the funds, but he has a long list of reforms to do. Will he manage? It seems like a mission impossible there if you listen to our correspondent.

[00:09:51]>> He has a long list of things to do in a very short time because most of the money should be used, committed, and and invested by August this year. So, this is a very short short deadline. Yes, long list of things which should not be surprising. Yeah, because European taxpayers were urging us in the Commission to do more to protect the money going to Hungary, not to pay the gifts for Viktor Orbán's families and friends.

[00:10:25]>> And there's a 3-month deadline here.

[00:10:27]What happens if they don't reach the deadline?

[00:10:28]>> Well, I think that it is feasible to do the summary reforms in case the legislative process is fast. Of course, it would be difficult to fulfill something which needs more preparations. But as I said, Hungarians the current government is not surprised. These are not new requests from Brussels.

[00:10:51]>> be the hardest?

[00:10:53]>> I think there are there are things relating to to judiciary independence and division of of powers between different layers of of justice system.

[00:11:05]They should do changes in media world.

[00:11:08]>> And should more have been done before by the previous Commission that you were in?

[00:11:12]>> We tried to uh make to convince Orbán's government to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

[00:11:24]This was the main thing I wanted them to do because to protect the EU money >> But they never listened to you.

[00:11:31]They didn't trust you. They didn't like you.

[00:11:33]>> You know, they didn't believe that this will go without any reaction if they didn't join. But they after that the reaction on it was the mechanism to freeze the money when the money is not protected enough.

[00:11:48]>> Mhm.

[00:11:48]Another thing Hungary, of course, under Orban was blocking was Ukraine's membership. This week we're seeing Antonio Costa in the Western Balkans trying to put momentum on their potential membership. What is your view here? Who should be the next member to join the European Union?

[00:12:00]>> I I spoke in recent weeks to many Western Balkan people and they are fed up to be uh what? 20 years in the waiting room?

[00:12:11]There must be some move. And over time I see that more and more we need them to join than they need Europe.

[00:12:20]This is obvious that we need to have courage to grow politically, geographically. We are under big pressure from outside.

[00:12:27]>> If you were a commissioner right now, that's my question, what would keep you up at night?

[00:12:32]>> What would keep me up at night? The state of of democracy and the rule of law in in Europe in general. That's why, by the way, I'm here because I am launching today with my with my team the new project Democracy 27, which is a citizens' initiative and which would complement what the commission is doing.

[00:12:51]>> Would be China, Russia, Trump?

[00:12:54]>> In international foreign policy, honestly, it's it's United States.

[00:13:01]>> Okay.

[00:13:01]>> Which scares me.

[00:13:02]>> Věra Jourová, thank you so much for coming in to us here >> Thank you.

[00:13:04]>> on Europe today.

[00:13:06]Now, moving on, the United Nations will be meeting this Monday for a talks called by France to discuss the latest Israeli offensive in Lebanon that saw the capture of Beaufort Castle in the south of the country. It comes as Lebanese authorities say the death toll in the country since early March is now over 3,371.

[00:13:24]For more, we can head now to Dubai and bring in our regional correspondent Jane Witherspoon. Jane, tell us more about this escalation in Lebanon.

[00:13:37]>> Yes, as you mentioned, over the weekend, Israel has taken control of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon. It's a move that has been condemned by France.

[00:13:46]They're calling for that UN Security Council meeting that you mentioned. The Israeli flag is now flying high above that medieval fortress. This is the deepest incursion in the country in almost quarter of a century.

[00:14:01]Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the capture of the castle marks a dramatic turning point in Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

[00:14:13]>> And meanwhile, we're hearing President Trump, Jane, saying he wants to make a deal with Iran, but at the same time the US military has struck a commercial ship full of sand on all these details.

[00:14:27]>> That's correct. Yes, the US military struck that commercial ship trying to enter Iran earlier in the morning. US Central Command have said the Gambia-flagged cargo ship ignored around more than 20 warnings, in fact. It was eventually stopped when the US forces fired a missile into its engine room.

[00:14:47]And this, of course, comes as hostility has resumed across the region over recent days. And of course, the world is waiting with bated breath to see if that ceasefire deal can be negotiated.

[00:15:00]>> Okay, Jane Witherspoon, thank you so much for that live update there from Dubai. And we can move on now. Romania's President Klaus Iohannis has released proof that the drone which hit a residential building in Galati last weekend or last week was a Russian drone. He says Moscow is, quote, "solely responsible." For the view from the European Space Agency on their role here in defense and security, Euronews' is Walker sat down with the head of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher.

[00:15:26]>> We are not a military organization. We are space agency. And as a space agency, we develop technology that can be utilized by other users, including the defense community. So, our job and my job is to first of all define together or on on the basis of requirements from the security defense communities or other users to define the space infrastructure that is needed in order to help them collecting information, communicating, navigating, and really being sure that they have the tools that space can provide for their defense purposes.

[00:15:59]>> [music] >> And you can catch the rest of that interview on Euronews. But now, I'd like to bring in the Romanian diplomat and politician Mircea Geoană, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO until 2024, and now one of the country's most prominent voices on security and defense. So, good morning, sir. Thank you so much for being with us here on Europe today. First, everyone's wondering what the situation now is like in Galați, and do people feel safe?

[00:16:25]>> You know, the the the shock of the of the Russian incursion and explosion on a on a block of apartments in Galați is still here with us.

[00:16:36]Um just for for our viewers to to see, Galați is a is a big city, industrial city on the Danube.

[00:16:43]On the other side of the river, there is Ukraine.

[00:16:45]And Russia is constantly attacking infrastructure on the Ukrainian side.

[00:16:51]And a few times, and this was the most severe incident, uh they crossed the border, the airspace of Romania, a NATO country.

[00:16:58]And that's why in Galați, in the Danube Delta, there is a little bit of of concern that has been accumulating in time in the four years and something like that.

[00:17:07]>> And Romania's air force couldn't intercept this drone. Why is that?

[00:17:11]>> You know, a Romanian pilot, an F-16 pilot, shot down a drone in Estonia just a few days back. They they didn't have enough enough time and space to shoot.

[00:17:21]And the question is what do you shoot?

[00:17:24]You know, a drone.

[00:17:25]Do you need an F-16? Do you need an F-35? Do you need a you know, a missile which is so expensive? So, I think the lesson from this and I think we should learn it all over the Eastern flank of NATO sooner.

[00:17:39]Is that you need to adequate anti-drone sensors, anti-drone equipment faster human systems because these things change so fast. The innovation cycle for drone war is changing so fast that I think our systems are robust, but sometimes there is a basic that is balanced between the kind of assets we have and the kind of needs we actually have for such incidents.

[00:18:02]>> Cuz if this happened once, it's going to happen again. And Romania is clearly not prepared for these kind of frequent drone incursions.

[00:18:09]>> We we have a specific geographical situation. As I mentioned, it's basically very close. So, I think we have to find adequate solutions. You know, acoustic sensors. This is something that technology exists. You know, anti-drone systems. This technology exists. The question that we have to procure so much for everything from high intensity war or you know, high-level gear. Let's say lower end technology like this one is needed. And I think we have to really prioritize better and and internalize the lessons learned from Iran and from Ukraine because the two fusion of lessons learned and I think have to do much better. Not only Romania, but I we see such all along the Eastern flank, especially the countries neighboring Ukraine like Romania is.

[00:18:51]>> And what would be the next step and is the with the support of NATO here? Of course, if this happens again and escalates.

[00:18:58]>> You know, uh I I think we have to do a much better effort to to try to find the right kind of air and missile defense for for for NATO in general. So, if for mid-altitude and high-altitude, let's say there are some things in place, Patriot missiles, you know, the F-16s, the F-35s, NATO operations.

[00:19:19]For these basically low altitude things, we are still lacking the kind of adequate means. They do exist on the market. You can acquire them.

[00:19:28]The only thing is that you have to put your right priorities in the right place. Try to make sure that you keep up with the innovation cycle. This electronic jamming is going to change basically every other few months. So, I think we have to do a much, much faster cycle of procurement and adaptation to this >> Okay. Thank you so much for that, for joining us here this morning. And that does bring this edition of Europe today to [music] an end. For more news and analysis, as always, you can visit euronews.com or you can drop us a line or an email at europe [email protected].

[00:20:00]Thanks so much for watching. Take care and see you soon.

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