France admits crime is spiralling out of control as rioters 'destroy and pillage' Paris
Seven in 10 French people believe crime is spiralling out of control, a bombshell poll has revealed - as rioters went on the rampage through the streets of Paris after PSG's Champions League win.
French authorities have confirmed that one man was killed and at least 890 people were arrested as rioting and looting tore through Paris and other cities on Sunday night.
The disorder was slammed by Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally party, who said: "Only in France does a football club's victory spark riots.
"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."
And now, a bombshell new survey this week from CSA for Le Journal du Dimanche has found a staggering 72 per cent of the country's population now believe crime has skyrocketed in recent years.
The poll found that Republicains voters believe the notion most strongly - with 92 per cent - followed closely by 83 per cent of National Rally supporters.
It also revealed that the majority of backers of President Emmanuel Macron's own party - 62 per cent - now believe crime in France is spiralling out of control.
The survey even found that the majority of left-wing French residents agree that authorities are losing their grip on crime, with 55 per cent in total.
Some 58 per cent of backers of Jean-Luc Melenchon's far-left La France Insoumise party, alongside just over half of Socialist supporters.
The only cohort who did not believe that France is facing a crisis akin to Mexico were Green Party voters, with just 45 per cent.
However, the figures also revealed stark contrasts beyond party lines - with major differences reported between age groups and genders.
Women were more likely to believe crime has dramatically escalated, with 76 per cent compared to 69 per cent of men.
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Meanwhile, the opinion was held by 76 per cent of those aged 50 compared to just 55 per cent of 18-24-year-olds.
During celebrations on Sunday, Mr Macron blasted the scenes in Paris as "unspeakable" and "unacceptable".
He added: “PSG have won two stars. We have seen unacceptable scenes of violence... that isn’t football, that isn’t sport, that isn’t what we love.
"We will be intransigent with those who have been caught. We don’t want to see that any more, end of. We’re fed up."
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez described the violence as "absolutely unacceptable," but noted authorities were prepared with a "very robust, very solid system in place".
Mr Nunez said: "We are a great country for maintaining public order. We allow freedom of assembly, but not excesses.
The violence in Paris comes in the backdrop of alarming rises in gang-related drug wars across France.
The so-called Narco wars have seen youngsters shot, stabbed and burned alive, cocaine washing up on shorelines and drug cartel bosses broken out of prison.
In 2024, a 15-year-old boy was killed after a major gunfight erupted in the city of Poitiers.
The large-scale brawl spilled over in front of a restaurant, with a shootout involving up to 600 people.
Then-Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau subsequently declared war on the gangs, and warned that "narco scum today have no limits".
He added: "This isn't happening in South America but in Rennes, in Poitiers, in parts of western France that once enjoyed a reputation for peace and quiet."
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