Representatives of shopkeepers’ associations from Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux appeared before France’s National Assembly inquiry commission on Wednesday, November 4, to describe the looting and damage their businesses suffered during demonstrations on October 17. Their testimony came nearly three weeks after the events, with several speakers still visibly upset and angry.
More than 3,000 shops and retail outlets were attacked or vandalized in major cities that day. The direct overall cost has so far been estimated at more than 600 million euros, according to the account presented to the commission.
Shopkeepers described feeling isolated and distressed for hours, in some cases until late at night. They also questioned what they characterized as the absence or non-intervention of police as groups attacked businesses.
“We were totally abandoned and sacrificed,” said Denis Geffrault, president of the Rue du Château-d’Eau Shopkeepers’ Association, near Paris’s Place de la République, where several looting incidents took place. Geffrault said he supported student mobilization and protests against the cost of living, but added that shopkeepers had not been protected.
Sources: Le Monde Politique.