Racket in Marseille: restaurants in Le Panier targeted, up to €80,000 demanded
Restaurateurs in the Le Panier district of Marseille have been victims of attempted extortion and intimidation since the summer. On 25 August, two masked men attempted to set fire to an establishment.
Attempted extortion in Le Panier: a manager confronts masked men
According to France Info, restaurateurs in the Le Panier district of Marseille have been facing a wave of attempted extortion since summer 2025. Repeated vandalism has been reported, culminating in an attempted arson attack during the night of Tuesday 25 August.
It is 22:50 when two masked men burst into a restaurant in the district, a few minutes before its closing time. Two clients are still seated at tables. One of the individuals enters the dining room with a red jerry can filled with petrol, which he pours onto the floor, splashing a client in the process who immediately flees.
The manager of the establishment then lunges at the second man, who was about to set fire. "It's adrenaline, and the fact of wanting to protect my staff, that's above all else," he explained by telephone to France Info. The accomplice leaves the premises whilst the struggle continues outside. The masked man eventually manages to escape after struggling violently. A few seconds earlier and the restaurant would have gone up in flames.
"It's not something I live with on a daily basis. I'm not a soldier, I'm not a military person, I'm nothing. I've been here for five years, it's never happened. We know nothing, we don't know. Everyone is surprised at what's happening here," the manager added.
Later in the evening, city surveillance cameras enabled the arrest of one of the suspects five kilometres from the restaurant.
Gangs of minors serving criminal networks
This incident is part of a broader phenomenon. In recent months, small businesses in Marseille have been increasingly targeted by gangs, often composed of minors, recruited by criminal organisations and drug traffickers.
Rudy Manna, spokesperson for the UNSA Police union, describes a modus operandi that affects a wide variety of establishments. "We are all surprised by this type of phenomenon. Restaurants, bars, newsagents, tobacconists. We have relatively young individuals who come to threaten, who come to intimidate, who ask for monthly payments that are quite substantial," he states.
Bernard Marty, president of the UMIH for Bouches-du-Rhône, a union representing restaurant professionals, details the mechanics of these extortions. "We have a team of youngsters who show up at the door of the establishment, who ask to see the owner. When the owner comes out into the street, they hand him a phone with a man who threatens him by demanding money from him. I was told that at certain establishments, they were demanding €80,000," he specifies.
57 cases recorded, but victims afraid to report
The police prefecture reports 57 cases of commercial extortion recorded in 2025. This figure nonetheless falls far short of reality, according to sector professionals: the majority of victims refuse to file a complaint for fear of reprisals.
This under-reporting complicates the authorities' response to a phenomenon that, according to sector representatives, has markedly intensified in recent months in Marseille.
Source: France Info