Fact check: Was the Eiffel Tower set on fire? Truth behind viral videos amid Paris clashes after PSG win
Paris was a witness to violent clashes on Saturday night as city club Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Champions League in Budapest, Hungary. Celebrating fans clashes on the streets, leading to the arrests of over 780.
A lot of violence was witnessed in front of the Eiffel Tower, the city’s iconic landmark of Paris, where protestors set vehicles on fire. It sparked flames and smoke around the Eiffel Tower, visible from afar.
A fully zoomed-out video of the tower during the clashes went viral on social media afterwards, with the purported claim that PSG fans set the Eiffel Tower on fire. It sparked concern about damage that might have been caused to the late 19th-century marvel.
However, the video appears to be misleading. Ht.com can confirm that the Eiffel Tower was not set on fire by PSG fans and others present during the violent clashes. Authorities in Paris have also not confirmed damage to the structure.
Here’s the viral video with the false claim. It has over 1.7 million views on X alone.
Also read: European Champions watch their city burn: PSG’s 2nd UCL title celebrations turn ugly as fans take to vandalism, violence
What To Know About Paris Clashes
French police said that the clashes took place in at least 16 cities in the country. Across France, 780 individuals were detained by police while 57 police officers suffered minor injuries, according to France’s interior minister Laurent Nuñez.
Nuñez added that most of the incidents took place in the Champs Élysées neighborhood, which houses the Parc des Princes, the home ground of PSG. The footage, which appeared to show the Eiffel Tower on fire, originated in the Champs Élysées neighborhood and spilled near the Eiffel Tower.
However, the structure itself suffered no damages. “Most of the celebrations took place peacefully,” Nuñez said, noting that of the 780 arrests, around 480 were in Paris.
Also read: PSG Champions League victory turns chaotic: Shocking photos of violent Paris title celebrations
There were no major serious incidents, except a vehicle-involved accident. A driver lost control of their car and rammed it into the restaurant’s terrace, injuring two people, one of whom is reportedly serious. In other cities, “one to two” shops were vandalized, Nuñez noted.
Marine Le Pen, the opposition leader and three-time Presidential candidate, criticized the current government for the incidents. “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,” she said on .
Meanwhile, the town hall for the district released a statement, criticizing the way the celebrations took place. “Champs-Élysées avenue and its surroundings ceased to be a place of celebration and became an arena of urban guerrilla warfare” the statement read.
“Since it has become impossible to celebrate a match without descending into riots, the only common-sense response is a new doctrine: ‘zero gatherings.'”