Hundreds arrested in Paris. PSG fans ran riot. French police overwhelmed. Again.
Westminster is watching. Quietly smug. The Met's crowd control tactics are being held up as the gold standard. Our boys in yellow bibs don't mess about. Kettling. Containment. Calm escalation. The French prefer the 'charge in and pray' approach. It doesn't work.
Downing Street sources are 'briefing' that the Home Secretary has already offered 'advisory support' to Paris. A diplomatic way of saying 'we told you so'. The French will refuse, of course. They always do. But the polling data is stark.
The British public see this. They see the difference between controlled policing and a riot. The Home Office is cashing in on the contrast. Expect a statement tomorrow. 'We have the best police in the world.' It will poll well.
But let's not get too cocky. The PSG trouble was football related. Our own matchday policing is tested every weekend. A few bad calls and the narrative flips. For now, though, the government is milking this for every drop of political capital. The French are embarrassed. The British are smug. That's the game.
