It's being reported by AFP and is in Le Figaro and Liberation newspapers amongst others...
https://twitter.com/Le_Figaro/status/1539293042494132232https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-sport/chaos-du-stade-de-france-au-senat-les-supporters-de-liverpool-appellent-darmanin-a-demissionner-20220621Stade de France fiasco: In the Senate, Liverpool supporters call on Darmanin to resign
By Le Figaro with AFP
Heard by the Senate on Tuesday in Paris, Liverpool fans demanded the departure of the Minister of the Interior.
The case is not over. Far from there. Liverpool supporters heard in the Senate on the security fiasco of the Champions League final called on Tuesday Gérald Darmanin to resign, castigating the " endless lies " of the Minister of the Interior, who had initially pointed the finger at the responsibility of the English fans.
“ You, Sir, have humiliated the inhabitants of Paris. Your endless lies and false stories have only amplified our trauma , ”said Ted Morris, representative of the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association, present at the Stade de France on the day of this final disrupted by serious malfunctions. in the organization.
" I ask you to withdraw your savage and baseless accusations and, if you do not have the decency to do so, you must choose the most honorable solution and resign ", he launched in front of the senatorial delegation which board on these incidents.
In the hours following the meeting, Gérald Darmanin had castigated the English supporters, presenting the thesis of a " massive, industrial and organized fraud of counterfeit tickets " creating disorder. Then, during his hearing before the Senate on June 1, the Minister of the Interior had sketched out a mea culpa while maintaining the controversial figure of " 35,000 supporters " provided, according to him, with falsified tickets or without tickets.
Before the senators on Tuesday afternoon, Ted Morris read the testimonies of several disabled supporters " traumatized " by these incidents, victims of robberies or attacks by local gangs in Saint-Denis or sprayed with tear gas by the forces of the 'order. " It's the most terrifying experience I've ever had in Europe with Liverpool ," he said. “ I will never forgive the authorities who are totally responsible ,” he continued, recalling the trauma experienced in 1989 by Liverpool in Hillsborough, where a gigantic crowd movement had caused the death of 97 supporters.
Member of the " Spirit of Shankly " supporters group , Joe Blott also asked the French authorities to " withdraw " their accusations and present " a full apology ", pointing to France's damaged reputation as a host country of major sporting events. . “ To ensure the safety of supporters at the Rugby World Cup (in 2023, editor’s note) and at the Olympic Games (2024) in the coming years, a full, independent and transparent investigation is needed so that the world regains confidence in the ability of France to organize planetary sporting events ”, he asserted.
L'Equipe too :
https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Incidents-au-stade-de-france-les-supporters-de-liverpool-ne-pardonneront-jamais/1339709Incidents at the Stade de France: Liverpool supporters "will never forgive"
Representatives of supporters, mostly English, gave important and chilling testimony, during their hearing this Tuesday afternoon by the Senate, on the fiasco of the organization of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid, at the Stade de France at the end of May.
S.Bo.
updated on June 21, 2022 at 5:59 p.m.
We don't know if it was the presence of the fan representatives in front of him that made him say that. But from the start of the debates, François-Noël Buffet, president of the Senate law commission, decided in one sentence: "Let's say things clearly and clearly, because things are now obvious: English supporters have not been the cause of the incidents. The message is unequivocal and undermines the version of the government, authorities and authorities.
This Tuesday afternoon, it was the turn of the supporters to be auditioned at the Luxembourg Palace, three weeks after the launch of the investigations. And you have to believe that, as the saying goes, the best came in the end. For an hour and a half, the “first victims” of the Saint-Denis fiasco delivered “damning” testimonies , to quote several senators present.
The resignation of Gérald Darmanin demanded, the maintenance of the 2024 Olympics in Paris questioned
The speech, in particular, by Ted Morris, chairman of the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association, was very powerful. Poignant, even. "Since May 28 (date of the Champions League final), my vision of Paris has not been the same, " he said. It's the worst experience, the greatest scenes of distress seen in my entire life. I don't want to come here again until things change. He then illustrated his remarks by quoting the story of many affected members: disabled people crushed against the railings, children and women in wheelchairs gassed, an individual pushed to the ground and gasping for air, an autistic boy separated from his father...
9,000
A total of 9,000 complaints are said to have been passed on by supporters to the Liverpool club. A report will be issued once they have all been compiled.
“Fans were calling us to complain and denounce the chaos. They were scared. And nobody helped us. Everyone remains traumatized, insisted Morris. What was supposed to be a fantastic family trip to Paris turned into a horrifying experience. The treatment given was shocking. We were treated like animals. This must be a disgrace to the authorities. We felt completely abandoned. It was truly terrifying and the authorities will never be forgiven for what they did. They must accept the responsibility that is theirs, otherwise the Olympics cannot take place in Paris (in 2024) . »
According to this group leader, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is the “shame of the government” . “He lied and that added to our pain and trauma. Withdraw your baseless accusations and have the decency to resign, he called. Thirty-three years ago, the authorities lied about the Hillsborough tragedy. His speech reminded us of that. But you have to have the courage to tell the truth, even to the most powerful. Until it is revealed in broad daylight, we will not be respected. »
“We were treated as we are treated all year round, which is to say as a threat. This explains the failures of the safety device. It is urgent to get out of it, to learn from our European neighbors and to bring ourselves up to date. »
Ronan Evain, Managing Director of Football Supporters Europe
In the process, Joe Blott, president of the Spirit of Shankly Federation, who had also made the trip to the United Kingdom especially to be heard, gave a layer. "We are here to see justice done, " he said. The police force stuck to the 1980s thinking that Liverpool supporters were all hooligans. These are hurtful and false prejudices, to hide their own failure. To hear the French authorities repeating the same kinds of lies as during the Hillsborough disaster caused the fans tremendous heartache and pain. It's a heartbreaker. Why put the responsibility on the supporters as a first instinct, when their heroic behavior succeeded in saving lives? »
Emilio Dumas, Franco-Spanish and Real Madrid socio for thirty years, also shared this rejection of the charges. “On the night of the match, we were very worried rather than happy about the victory. Three weeks later, I still have a lot more bad memories than good ones. Nobody was quiet to leave the stadium. I have never seen such an inactive attitude of the police towards the help requested. I was really scared. These stories shame the image of France, ” he confided, in video.
In addition and in summary, Ronan Evain, Managing Director of Football Supporters Europe, concluded: “The supporters have been victims of three things: old representations, an archaic mobility plan and a poor French approach to supporters. We were treated the way we are treated all year round, which is to say as a threat. This explains the failures of the safety device. It is urgent to get out of it, to learn from our European neighbors and to bring ourselves up to date. »
