The violence, which erupted over the weekend, saw masked gangs of rioters looting stores and trashing buildings across Paris, with the iconic Place de la Republique a focal point. By Tuesday, workers were cleaning graffiti from the square's statue of Equality, which had been tagged with the phrase "the golden youth," and removing a plastic yellow-vest decoration.
While curfews helped police regain control of key areas, business owners expressed anger at what they saw as a failure to come to their help. Kevin, manager of a manga store near the square, told The Age that he and his colleagues called police five times on Saturday night as thieves broke in, but were told officers were overwhelmed by rioters elsewhere. The looters targeted specific high-value items such as rare Pokemon cards worth up to €3000 ($4800), indicating they knew what they were looking for, he said.
Stores selling brand-name clothing and footwear, including Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger and New Balance, were also ransacked, as were some watch shops. In the southern city of Limoges, police announced Tuesday that a suspect in the arson attack on its historic town hall was a member of an "ultra-left" group and was on a security watch list.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu promised a "massive" deployment of troops and police this Saturday, when left-wing groups linked to the "yellow vest" cost-of-living protests of 2018 have called for fresh demonstrations. The Gilets Jaunes movement is demanding lower fuel prices and household cost reductions. While some protesters have political aims, authorities have noted that many rioters were simply engaged in theft.