Damage caused by violence and looting: France’s rude awakening after the unrest

The owner of the Afro salon “Thair” was there when they came. Sadly, he describes how the looters got to work – only last Saturday and then again on Sunday. “They know my shop, they know me,” he answers when asked whether he too had been looted. He does not want to lose more words about the perpetrators, quite as if it was unpleasant for him to have been spared. The neighbor in the quarter of the hall had less luck. The shoe store of the chain “Foot Locker” is barricaded just like the “Snipes” shoe store opposite with temporary wooden slabs. On it is a handwritten note: “The shop is closed.” The owner of “Thair” reports how the neighboring shop was cleared empty before his eyes. Two days after the riot weekend, retailers in France are still in shock. Nationwide, more than 3000 businesses were destroyed and/or looted. Riots have occurred again and again in recent years, but this level of violence is novel. So far, the government has rejected the imposition of a state of emergency, but the demand for it is no longer taboo in public debate. 1.2 billion euros in insured damages For now, local night curfews should ensure order. In Paris, they were imposed from Monday, 11 p.m. to Tuesday, 6 p.m., for the Hall Quarter and the Place de la République. Around these hotspots in the heart of the capital, the traces of destruction are ubiquitous. The clean-up work is ongoing or has not even begun. From the door of the devastated beauty salon “Skin Chic” on the Boulevard de Sébastopol, only the glass splinters are left on the floor. In the rue de Turbigo you will encounter ash mountains on both sides of the road, on the Place de la République on this Tuesday carpentry work was done to clean the all-round smeared statue. On the north side of the square, only the skeleton is left of a burnt out kiosk. The stairs opposite obviously served as a quarry for rioters. On the corner to the boulevard de Magenta the facade has been stripped and is not even the road sign recognizable. A few meters further, a camera team from Asia is currently documenting the destruction. Who pays in which form for the immense damage, can not be said yet. “Whoever destroyed must pay for it,” President Emmanuel Macron said in his televised address on Sunday. But the investigation is still ongoing, and how many of the looters and rioters are even caught, is uncertain. Even the damage level can only be estimated so far. The analysts of the rating agency Morningstar DBRS put the insured damages at slightly less than 1.2 billion euros. Uprisings and social unrest have increasingly exhibited characteristics traditionally associated with disaster risks. Customers of the French insurance group Axa have 30 days instead of five to declare damages against advertised looting goods, CEO Thomas Buberl told BFM Business. In addition, there is an immediate liquidity support and in difficult cases a solidarity fund. “If it happens once, we can help repair the damage, but if it happens again, the insurance no longer offers protection,” Buberl said. French Finance and Economics Minister Roland Lescure announced on Tuesday after a meeting with professionals the introduction of an interest-free loan. Up to 50,000 euros should be allowed to apply for the affected transactions through the state development bank Bpifrance. In addition, there will be a special aid fund for companies and businesses with fewer than 50 employees. One problem for many retailers: hedges against loss of revenue due to shutdowns are rare. Already on Monday, the government had announced to take over short-time work for the employees of the injured retailers 100 percent. The government also strives for action in the fight against advertised looting goods. Following a meeting with representatives of online platforms such as Vinted, Amazon and Meta, agreements were reached to take decisive action against such listings. On Sunday, suspicious products appeared on the platforms. The evidence gathers that professional gangs were on the road at the weekend and looted shops for sporting goods, luxury goods and electronics. The Federal Foreign Office advises German citizens to behave “cautiously” when travelling to France. However, the cancellation conditions in hotels do not change anything.