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French prosecutors probe foul air claims in Paris metro

Prosecutors in Paris have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that pollution in the capital's metro system is putting travellers' lives at risk, an NGO and authorities said on Wednesday.

Published: 5 April 2023 16:39 CEST
French prosecutors probe foul air claims in Paris metro
Commuters walk along a platform at the Gare de l'Est metro station in Paris (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP)

Metro operator RATP is being investigated for possible trickery and causing involuntary injuries following claims that it deliberately under-reports pollution levels and fails to inform passengers about the dangers.

“It’s time to lift the veil of silence and that the RATP tells the truth to users,” the head of the Respire (Breathe) campaign group, Tony Renucci, said in a statement that announced the opening of a criminal probe, which was confirmed by the Paris prosecutor’s office.

The charity, which lobbies for clean air, filed a legal complaint in 2021 after carrying out two separate monitoring investigations.

It accuses the RATP of being aware of the pollution problems for the last two decades.

In June last year, French public health watchdog Anses concluded that levels of toxic fine particulate matter were on average three times higher inside the metro than outside.

Of particular concern were particles generated from braking, while pollution was only monitored in three stations across the whole 309-stop network, Anses said.

The RATP said that air quality was a “priority” and it had an “ambitious action plan” to tackle pollution, which includes installing high-performance fans and electric braking systems which reduce pollution.

An estimated 40,000 premature deaths occur in France each year due to air pollution, according to public health figures.

READ MORE: Will people really be able to swim in Paris’ Seine river in 2024?

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Macron condemns fan violence ahead of French football final

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned "with the greatest firmness" violence that broke out Saturday between rival football fans on their way to the French cup final that left 38 people hurt and a bus burnt to a crisp.

Published: 26 May 2024 08:31 CEST
Macron condemns fan violence ahead of French football final

The clashes erupted at a toll gate between fans of Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) headed to the evening’s match in the northern city of Lille, which Macron attended.

The violence struck 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Lille, where the final was being played because Paris’s Stade de France is being readied for this summer’s Olympics.

One bus was set on fire and two others damaged, local Nord department authorities said in a statement overnight, adding that 30 supporters and eight police officers were injured. Fourteen people required “medical attention”.

The clashes involved about 100 Lyon supporters and 200 PSG fans, a police source said.

Police prefect Bertrand Gaume said one group of supporters got out of their bus and attacked another carrying rival fans, who threw smoke bombs.

“There were very violent brawls” before police intervened, Gaume said, adding that one bus was left burnt out.

Mingling with the public in nearby Tourcoing ahead of the game, Macron said he “condemns all violence with the greatest firmness”, adding: “I hope that things will go as normally as possible this evening.”

Heavy security

Traffic on the major north-south A1 highway was interrupted in both directions.

The supporters’ group Paris Ultras Collective said in a statement that fans of the two clubs had been supposed to take different routes to the match, but Lyon fans attacked a bus carrying PSG supporters.

Police did not indicate which group of fans launched the attack.

Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon) said in a statement it “condemns this violence”.

The French Football Federation called the violence “unacceptable”.

After the match in Lille, which PSG won 2-1, supporters left the stadium calmly, amid a heavy police presence.

Earlier, fans of the rival teams had mingled all day without incident ahead of the 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) start time.

The regional police authority said 1,000 officers were on duty in the town and a further 1,000 in the stadium.

The local authorities had also put in place a number of measures for the high-risk match.

Fans were forbidden to move “outside the areas reserved for them” near the stadium until 04:00 am Sunday, and authorities banned the public consumption of alcohol “in a glass or metal container” until the same time.

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