Luxury shops looted in French protests, goods worth Rs 38 crore stolen

A movement against the government in France has turned violent. France, counted among Europe's calmest and most advanced countries, is in a state of social and political unrest, and the protests have spread across the country. Under the cover of the movement, anti-social elements and masked groups have targeted luxury brand stores in major cities.

Designer goods worth lakhs of euros were looted in the vandalism in cities such as Paris, Marseille and Bordeaux. Most startling is that the stolen goods are now being sold openly and very cheaply on streets and on social media platforms.

High-end retail stores were targeted on a large scale during the violent protests on October 17. According to preliminary information, goods worth about 4.25 million euros (roughly Rs 38 crore) were stolen on that one day alone. The loot includes not ordinary items or clothes but designer handbags, luxury watches, expensive perfumes and cosmetics from some of the world's costliest brands. The attacks on France's major tourism and business centres have dealt a heavy blow to the global retail sector.

According to local authorities, the well-known Rolex watch showroom in Marseille was vandalised and suffered a loss of about 3 million euros. In Bordeaux, goods worth an estimated 1.25 million euros were taken from the famed Louis Vuitton store. International brands such as Celine, Hermès and Dior have also been directly hit by the violence.

Groups of masked rioters with covered faces smashed shop windows and emptied entire showrooms within minutes. Videos of the incidents are going viral on social media. They clearly show people running away carrying expensive handbags and watch boxes. French traders are deeply alarmed and angry over the losses.

After looting the shops, the thieves have set up unauthorised stalls in different French cities. Several videos have emerged of looted goods being sold in the open by the roadside, on pavements and in lanes. Handbags and perfumes whose real price runs into lakhs are being sold at discounts of 80 to 90 per cent off the usual retail price.

Some local sellers are stopping passers-by and trying to sell these branded items for small sums. Videos on social media also show buyers and sellers haggling over prices. French police are investigating whether every item seen on social media is actually looted or a fake ("first copy").

Attempts are also being made to sell the stolen goods online. Advertisements for suspicious products flooded Vinted, a hugely popular European e-commerce platform for buying and selling second-hand goods. Within a few hours of the violence ending, several new listings of Louis Vuitton and Hermès branded bags began appearing on the platform.

The nature of the advertisements deepened suspicion that they were linked to the looted goods. Taking the matter seriously, Vinted issued a statement immediately. The company said the sale of stolen or illegally obtained items would not be tolerated on its platform, and it has begun blocking all such suspicious accounts and listings. The search for users who posted the advertisements is continuing with the help of the police and the cyber cell.

The unprecedented situation has raised serious questions of law and order. The looting carried out under the cover of the movement is not only an economic loss, and has also badly damaged the country's international image. Traders' associations have asked the government to increase security and take strict action against the looters. French police are currently working to identify the accused from CCTV footage and social media videos.