Paris: Looting and damage in the Marais, police absence reported
Philosopher Pascal Bruckner describes scenes of vandalism and looting in central Paris on 17 October, without intervention by law enforcement. Luxury boutiques were systematically attacked with shouts of "Wallah".
Vandalism and looting documented in the heart of Paris
According to Le Figaro, philosopher Pascal Bruckner witnessed events on 17 October in the streets of the Marais. Around 18:58, a group of masked individuals attacked the facade of a luxury boutique at the corner of rue des Filles-du-Calvaire and rue de Turenne, armed with concrete blocks, manhole covers, fire extinguishers and crowbars.
After a prolonged attempt, the shop window glass cracked and the assailants entered the interior of the shop to extract goods. Bruckner emphasises that the perpetrators acted in a manner that was "rapid, co-ordinated and professional". From noon to midnight in the area near the République, no uniformed officers were reportedly visible, although local residents alerted the authorities.
Bruckner reports that the assailants were chanting "Wallah" during their actions. His observation highlights, in his view, a marked absence of law enforcement in the sector and a dynamic of prolonged urban unrest on this day of 17 October. The philosopher, author of the work "I Suffer Therefore I Am. Portrait of the Victim as Hero" (Grasset, 2024), reflects on the contrast between the intensity of the acts of destruction and what he perceives as a failure in the maintenance of public order.
Source: Le Figaro