Investigation begins in Paris into crimes of racial violence on public transport, with Scotland Yard set to study footage in bid to identify those involved.
Video shows Chelsea football fans preventing a black man from boarding a Paris métro train. Video: Paul Nolan
A source in the Paris public prosecutor’s office confirmed to the Guardian that police had begun an investigation on Wednesday into crimes of racial violence on public transport. In London, Scotland Yard said it would study the video in an attempt to identify those involved.
The footage, obtained exclusively by the Guardian, shows a man repeatedly trying to squeeze on to a busy train, only to be forcefully shoved out of the door and back on to the platform at the Richelieu–Drouot station before Chelsea’s Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Paris inquiry was being handled by a police branch that specialises in crimes related to football hooliganism. The source said it was not the first time the Paris police had pursued foreign football supporters for breaking the law in France.
The first challenge for the inquiry would be to identify the Chelsea supporters shown in the video and also to find the victim – the black man shown being prevented from boarding the train at Richelieu-Druout station.
If found guilty, those responsible could face at least three years in prison and a fine of €45,000.
The Met said it took episodes of British football fans being involved in criminality or disorder “very seriously”, even if the incidents took place abroad.
If it identifies those involved in the train incident, the Met said it would consider applying for orders to stop them travelling to future football games.
The Met said: “We will examine the footage with a view to seeing if we can applyfor football banning orders, preventing people from travelling from future matches.
“We will, of course, assist French authorities to identify the people involved and support them in any action they choose to take. At the same time we will be working closely with Chelsea football club.”
A Chelsea fan who was on the train claimed the supporters pushed the man off the carriage because he was a PSG fan rather than for being black. Season-ticket holder Mitchell McCoy, 17, from Fulham in London, told the Press Association: “We got on the train and at the station where the man was trying to get on we stopped for a couple of minutes.
“He tried to get on and a few people were pushing him off because there wasn’t much space on the carriage. You couldn’t move.
“People were saying it was because he was black. It’s not true at all. I personally think it’s because he was a PSG fan. Obviously they didn’t want him anywhere with us. That guy in the video tried to force himself on, so they pushed him off.”
Mitchell, who travelled to Paris with five friends, admitted that fans chanted “we’re racist and that’s the way we like it”, but said it was a reference to Chelsea captain John Terry. Asked why that song was sung at that moment, he said: “I’m not sure. I didn’t sing it.”
Terry was banned for four matches and fined 220,000 by the Football Association in October 2012 for racially abusing then QPR player Anton Ferdinand.
Chelsea football club issued a statement condemning the fans and said they could be banned. “Such behaviour is abhorrent and has no place in football or society. We will support any criminal action against those involved and, should evidence point to involvement of Chelsea season-ticket holders or members the club, will take the strongest possible action against them, including banning orders.”
Tim Rolls, of the Chelsea supporters’ association, also condemned the incident. He said: “We, the supporters’ trust, condemn the chanting and we support what the club have said about it. It is half a dozen people. I haven’t seen an incident of that type for decades in football. It is a great shame that it happened and it can never be justified or defended.”
He added: “The point has to be made they were 2,000 Chelsea fans there. The vast majority are not racist. We are a multi-racial club, you only have to look at our team. It is depressing that this has happened. It has to be put in a wider context. The vast majority of fans are not racist.”
Football’s European governing body, Uefa, said it could not take action against Chelsea because its authority extends only to incidents at football stadiums.
“Uefa condemns all forms of discrimination and we are appalled by the incident which took place in the Paris métro on Tuesday,” the organisation said. “However, as it occurred away from the stadium, it is outside Uefa’s remit to act. It is a matterfor the local authorities to investigate further and Uefa supports any action that is taken.”
Uefa has strengthened its rules against racist behaviour by supporters in recent years, including requiring clubs to play matches in empty grounds, but does not consider the rules to apply beyond a stadium and its perimeter.
Article 16 of the Uefa regulations specifies that football associations and clubs are liable for supporters’ misbehaviour, “inside and around the stadium, before, during and after matches”.
Sepp Blatter, president of Fifa, football’s world governing body, condemned the fans’ behaviour. In a Twitter post, he said: There is no place for racism in football!”
The incident was filmed by Paul Nolan, a British expatriate. “I was just completely appalled by it and so that’s why I tried to catch some of it on my phone,” he said.
Nolan added that others on the platform looked on in disbelief: “There definitely was a culture shock. I heard a couple of French guys saying: ‘I can’t believe this. It’s insane.’”
