The key facts
- Around half a million people took part in protests against the cost of living; demonstrations escalated into looting and arson.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted a 'loss of control' and insufficient preparation of forces, submitted his resignation — Macron declined to accept it.
- More than 2,500 arrests, nearly 1,000 injured police officers and gendarmes, demonstrators were also hurt; damage is estimated at 'hundreds of millions of euros'.
Looting after cost-of-living protests
On Saturday, October 18, around half a million people marched across France against the cost of living. After the protests, the country experienced one of the most severe waves of violence in recent years: shops and town halls were looted and set on fire. In Paris, according to AFP journalists, crowds of people in masks and black hoodies tore off metal shutters, emptied shelves of cigarettes, sunglasses, clothing, jewelry and groceries; bags of pastries, juice and alcohol were carried out of a supermarket. Antique watches disappeared from a jewelry shop, entire racks of glasses were gone, and cash registers smashed to pieces turned out to be empty.
Minister admits loss of control
On Monday, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted that the police had lost control. 'On Saturday, in some major cities, after the looting of hundreds of stores, it was impossible to look shopkeepers in the eye and say that we had not lost control,' he said. Nuñez acknowledged a 'lack of foresight' in the deployment of forces: on Saturday, about 60,000 police officers and gendarmes were on duty across the country — far too few for the large crowds of rioters on the fringes of the demonstrations. He stated that, given the damage caused, he was obliged to resign, but President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept his resignation.
Scale of damage and arrests
According to the estimate of the president of the chamber of commerce, Alain Di Crescenzo, the riots affected more than 2,000 stores across the country, with damage estimated at 'hundreds of millions of euros'. More than 2,500 people were arrested; Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin reported that more than 2,330 were taken into police custody, 70% of them adults. Nearly 1,000 law enforcement officers were injured. Demonstrators were also hurt, including one person whose arm was torn off by a police crowd-control grenade.
Bragging on social media
Young participants in the riots posted videos on TikTok and X bragging about their loot and clashes with the police. 'Thank you, Paris... we wrecked everything,' says a young man with eyes reddened by tear gas, listing the Under Armour clothing he had grabbed and adding, addressing the CRS gendarmes: 'You ran, guys, we crushed you.' In another video, a participant explains that he came out to protest over fuel prices, and also took items from a sporting goods store: 'In the end, looting saves you money.' He said he considers France racist, but when asked whether the looting would reinforce that stereotype, he replied: 'If this continues, there will be chaos.'
