PSG fans divided over protests in France as Barcelona game goes ahead

Holders Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) host Barcelona, five-time European champions, in a league-phase match that kicked off at 9pm local time (19:00 GMT).

Security checks at the gates were routine, and the police presence was modest. Across the country, however, a weeks-long student movement has brought more than half a million people onto the streets and has been met, at times, with force.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Monday that the game would go ahead as planned, despite the unrest.

“I am so happy they haven’t cancelled it. How could we miss such a match?” Paul, a 25-year-old engineer wrapped in a PSG scarf, told Al Jazeera.

The protests began as a student movement demanding smaller classes, more teachers and a more equal education system. The pupils’ resentment quickly spilled out of the classrooms, widening into a nationwide movement that led to violent riots over the weekend.

Protesters and rights groups have accused police of using excessive force. A 14-year-old named Eden in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumone suffered a broken jaw after being hit by a tear-gas grenade. Another student, Mael, 16, has lost sight in the right eye after being struck by a rubber-bullet launcher, among other cases.

The authorities have defended the police response, saying hundreds of officers have been injured during demonstrations. The police oversight body, the IGPN, has opened 34 investigations into alleged police violence as of last week.

PSG’s ultras have a history of political expression. On October 10, at the match against Le Mans, the Collectif Ultras Paris unfurled a banner in support of the protests, reading, “Your militia represses, our youth resists.”

The French Football Federation’s ethics body urged supporters to keep political messages out of venues. Stadium security ordered the banner removed, and a large part of the Auteuil stand walked out before half-time, returning for the second half.

Opinion among fans on Tuesday was divided.

“Everyone is free to express their opinions, and if the supporters’ club, with everything that’s going on, wants to show its support for the students, then fine,” said Frederique, 52, a bank employee.

Adrien Ridon, 34, who works in construction, disagreed.

“I think football and politics are two completely different things,” he said, adding that he was glad the match had not been cancelled.

“It would have made fans like us very sad not to be able to travel tonight to see the match against Barca, which is huge.”