French mayor bans Palestine flag and protests after PSG victory incidents

The mayor of Chalon-sur-Saone, in west-central France, has announced that he was banning the Palestinian flag in the city, calling it a "rallying sign" following the urban "riots" that broke out after Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) victory on Saturday night.

The Parisian football club's win in the Champions League final against Inter Milan was marred by unrest and violence in various cities across the country.

"Events of the most extreme gravity took place last night in our city," Mayor Gilles Platret wrote in a statement on Sunday.

"Individuals chose to seize the opportunity to create disorder on a political basis," he said, adding that "one of the riot leaders" was "conspicuously displaying a Palestinian flag as a rallying sign".

"The Palestinian flag has become the symbol of the rioters, the rallying sign of Islamist gangs determined to defy republican institutions," the mayor said.

Read more: French mayor bans Palestine flag and protests after PSG victory incidents