NFL fans visiting Paris in high spirits for Saints vs. Steelers game, undeterred by protests

PARIS — American football fans brought high energy, chants and smiles to Stade de France on Sunday to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers face the New Orleans Saints. Some said the mass protests in the city were not an issue during their weekend trip. The NFL’s first regular-season game in France came a day after more than 400,000 people around the country took to the streets to protest educational funding and the high cost of living. At least 110,000 of those protesters were concentrated in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry. Although the demonstrations were largely peaceful, some clashes broke out, prompting French security forces to use tear gas and water cannons in several cities.

Paris prosecutors said there were 64 arrests in the nation’s capital on Saturday, mostly for suspected weapons offenses or participation in a group preparing violence or property damage. But American visitors in town to cheer on their teams told NBC News that everyone they’ve encountered had been welcoming. Lifelong friends and Saints fans Sindhu Pandit, Shruti Menon and Pramod Menon said they never felt the game would be canceled. Pandit said the key to their own movements around the city was to stay informed. “I think we were all given quite a bit of good information from the different platforms that we were subscribed to,”