Carrefour chief says 50 stores were targeted in France unrest, seeks faster compensation
Alexandre Bompard said about 1,500 other shops were damaged during Saturday’s unrest and estimated repairs at more than €10 million.
Carrefour chief executive Alexandre Bompard said on Sunday, 18 October, that rioters had targeted 50 of the retailer’s stores during unrest across France on Saturday. He called for faster compensation for shopkeepers after estimating repair costs at more than €10 million, Business Insider reported.
In a post on X, Bompard called the violence unacceptable. ‘Nothing can justify such violence,’ he wrote in French, according to Business Insider. He said people who attacked the businesses and their employees should face an uncompromising response and urged the French Republic to protect shopkeepers.
Damage to shops during the 17 October protests
Bompard said about 1,500 other shops were damaged during the unrest. His store count, wider damage figure and repair estimate are his reported assessments. He asked for compensation procedures to be accelerated, comparing the response he wanted with arrangements after natural disasters. Business Insider described the 50 Carrefour stores as having been targeted; that account does not establish that every one was looted.
The unrest followed demonstrations over the cost of living and deteriorating school conditions, Business Insider reported. The Mirror separately described protests over education standards and public services as well as living costs. It reported looting, arson and clashes with police, while saying many people had protested peacefully.
The scale of the demonstrations is disputed: authorities estimated attendance at about 550,000, while organisers claimed roughly 800,000, according to the Mirror. Its report described confrontations in Paris, Lyon and Marseille and said protesters in Marseille had stormed city hall. It also reported that shops were looted during the disorder.
French government response
France’s interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said the material damage was considerable and pointed to damaged shops, the Mirror reported. In a post on X, he blamed thousands of ‘far-left’ protesters and criminals for looting and ransacking civic and private buildings. His account of who was responsible is an official allegation.
President Emmanuel Macron was holding a crisis meeting with ministers on Sunday and was due to address the nation that evening, according to the Mirror. The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon had also asked to meet Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu in the coming days.
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Sources and context
- Carrefour CEO says 50 of its stores and almost 20 supermarkets were ransacked during riots in FranceBusiness Insider
- Chaos as French rioters loot stores and burn down town hall - cops arrest 2,000Mirror
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.