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“8,000 looters”: stores ransacked in Marseille and across France
The regional prefect in Marseille said “8,000 looters” had been counted in the city. Cost-of-living protests in France turned into store looting from Lyon to Bordeaux, with luxury boutiques and shopping malls hit.
Jacques Witkowski, prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, said “8,000 looters” had been counted in Marseille on Saturday. The city became one of the epicenters of a wave of looting that swept France during nationwide protests against the cost of living and the state of schools.
According to France 3, dozens of mostly masked people in the Saint-Ferréol shopping district carried goods out of stores in the evening and sold them right there on the sidewalk, with no police nearby, reporters said. Looters also reached the Centre Bourse mall in the city center.
Smartphones, game consoles and headphones were taken from a Fnac store, a Boulanger electronics store was set on fire and an SFR phone shop was wrecked.
Small shops suffered most. One video shows the owner of a looted mobile phone shop sitting at its entrance with his head in his hands amid broken glass and torn boxes.
Protesters broke down the door of Marseille’s town hall, briefly stormed its lobby and threw down a bust of Marianne, while a municipal police post on La Canebière was ransacked. About 30 people were detained in the city. Mayor Benoît Payan called the events “indescribable and unacceptable” and said he would demand answers from the state. Sunday events, including the Fête de la Mer and the Old Port market, were canceled.
Lyon: crowds at Hugo Boss
In Lyon, hundreds of masked people gathered outside the Hugo Boss store, whose windows had been covered with plywood in advance. According to AFP, the store was later set on fire, shops around rue de la République were damaged and the tourist office burned.
Another Lyon store, Pyrenex, was emptied as hooded youths burst in and ran out clutching jackets. The saleswoman reportedly had to flee.
Paris and Bordeaux: luxury brands hit
In Paris, the Celine boutique on avenue Montaigne was looted and the Galeries Lafayette flagship on boulevard Haussmann was attacked. Stores on the Champs-Élysées had barricaded themselves beforehand. Another video shows masked people smashing the displays and counters of a luxury store.
According to the account that posted another video, a crowd forced the door of a Louis Vuitton store in Bordeaux. On the city’s main shopping street, rue Sainte-Catherine, Decathlon, Intersport, the Apple Store, Nocibé and Snipes were looted or vandalized, and Galeries Lafayette’s windows were knocked out.
Dozens of stores were hit in Rennes, a Sephora was looted in Poitiers, and a Fnac and Galeries Lafayette in Chambéry. One clip shows young people who stormed a McDonald’s making themselves fries in the kitchen.
Business reaction and scale of protests
Carrefour chief executive and Federation of Commerce and Distribution president Alexandre Bompard condemned the looting “in the most resolute terms.” Lacoste and MF Brands CEO Thierry Guibert said “Aigle and Lacoste stores are being looted, like so many other businesses across France.” The damage has yet to be tallied.
The CGT union and youth organizations estimated turnout at about 800,000, while authorities counted 550,000. In Paris, a crowd of thousands filled Place de la République.
Clashes with police continued overnight, with fireworks and stones thrown at security forces and police responding with tear gas. President Emmanuel Macron vowed to punish those who attacked prefectures, businesses and town halls, and the Interior Ministry said about 400 people had been detained nationwide.
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