Almost two-thirds of French citizens agree with a proposal for authorities to publish the nationality of those arrested during the chaotic scenes that occurred on the evening of the Champions League final in Paris, according to polling published by CNEWS.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has initially refused to do so, opposing suggestions before the Senate law commission. “I do not have to give the nationality of the people we are questioning,” he told lawmakers.
However, 61 percent of respondents are in favor of the proposal — 37 percent of French “absolutely agree” with the idea while 24 percent “rather agree.” On the contrary, 38 percent were against the idea — 18 percent of whom were “totally against” and 20 percent “more against.” Another 1 percent of those polled did not wish to comment.
Men, at 66 percent, are more in favor of the nationalities of those arrested at the Stade de France being revealed, compared to 57 percent of women.
Support for such a measure also appears to increase with age, with 68 percent of those aged 65 or over backing the proposals, 11 percentage points higher than those aged under 35.
The question is most divisive among 18-24 year-olds — 48 percent are for the measure and 52 percent are against it.
Across the political spectrum, there also lies a noticeable difference in support. Unsurprisingly, the number of total backers soars on the right. It is particularly overwhelming at Reconquest, the party of Éric Zemmour, which recorded 79 percent favorable responses, including 74 percent of total agreement. Les Républicains and the Rassemblement National follow with 77 percent and 67 percent in favor, respectively.
Overall, absolute agreement also wins in the center, at 63 percent for LREM, the party of the presidential majority. The left is also high, at 54 percent, while there is a perfect balance at France Unbowed (LFI) which recorded 50 percent “for” and 50 percent “against.”
The Champions League final, which pitted Liverpool against Real Madrid on Saturday, May 28, at the Stade de France, was marred by incidents and instigated the survey. Beyond the spurious claims by France’s interior minister of massive counterfeit ticket fraud, some ticket holders were prevented from entering the Stade de France grounds, while assaults and thefts were also reported, especially against English and Spanish fans.
The survey was carried out via a self-administered online questionnaire from June 2-3, among a representative national sample of 1,011 people aged 18 and over, according to the quota method based on sex, age, socio-professional category, region, and urban area.
