France: Algerians celebrate team's victory

France: Algerians celebrate team's victory


See also AFP video here.


In France, which ruled Algeria until independence in 1962, euphoria reigned in parts of Paris, where crowds of Algerians and French Algerians gathered in the Barbes area to celebrate the win with cheers, flags and firecrackers.


Across the French capital, convoys of cars drove up and down the streets, flying the Algerian flag and sounding their horns, often cheered by passers-by awaiting the outcome of the France-Ireland match.


Algerian supporters crowded the Champs Elysees, which was closed to traffic, celebrating their victory. Several threw bottles at police, who responded with tear gas.


Several motor scooters and trash bins were later set alight and windows of several businesses smashed, with a Mont Blanc pen shop looted.


Horns blared and Algerian music played in the southern French port of Marseille as the city's sizeable Algerian and French-Algerian population celebrated the win.


More than 1,000 people gathered in the centre of the eastern French city of Lyon, but the celebrations were marred by violence as around a dozen cars were set alight, according to police.


Police in the eastern town of Grenoble used tear gas and made three arrests as more vehicles were burned. Tear gas was also fired in Marseille to disperse a few dozen bottle-throwing young people in the Old Port district.


More than 20 people were arrested in the northern city of Roubaix after several cars and trash bins were set on fire and windows broken, police said.


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Source: AFP (English)