France Fans Sing La Marseillaise as Police Watch On in Montpellier

A group of French fans sang the national anthem and gesticulated towards police officers nearby amid celebrations and confrontations in Montpellier on December 14-15 in the wake of France’s defeat of Morocco at the World Cup.

Footage posted by Twitter user @rafaelfnzFCB shows a small number of police officers near to the singing group near a tram stop on the city’s outskirts.

Elsewhere in Montpellier, a teenage boy died after being hit by a car. France 3 reported, citing police, that the incident took place on Avenue de Barcelona, when a group of Morocco supporters approached a stationary Citroen C4 with a French flag hanging from it. The driver of the vehicle was still at large as of Thursday morning, according to the report.

Le Figaro reported that the boy was 14 years old.

Local official Nathalie Oziol wrote on Twitter “a sporting event ends in absolute tragedy”.

There was also unrest in the French city of Lyon following the game. According to local reports and tweets from politicians, at least some of the disturbances were linked to “far right” groups.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin thanked the 10,000 police who mobilized across France on the night, and expressed his condolences on the death of the 14-year-old in Montpellier. Credit: @rafaelfnzFCB via Storyful