France plans troop deployment as riots and looting damage Paris shops

The French government plans to deploy troops as riots and looting damage shops in Paris. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that shop owners near Place de la Republique said looters ransacked their stores, while Kevin, a manager at a manga shop on Rue Voltaire, described seeking help from police as thieves broke into his store.

Kevin told the newspaper that he and his colleagues called police five times on Saturday night. He said officers told them authorities were overwhelmed with efforts to confront rioters in other parts of Paris. The store is one block from Place de la Republique, where nearby shop owners said their businesses had been ransacked.

Kevin said the shop carried rare cards priced at as much as €3000 ($4800), and said the looters appeared to know what they wanted. His account describes both the damage to businesses and the difficulty staff faced in getting police assistance during the break-in.

The troop plan is also reported by the South China Morning Post, whose headline says France intends to deploy troops in response to protests after riots swept major cities. Headlines from ua.news and The Times of Israel describe a massive security or police deployment announced or promised by the French prime minister.

France 24’s headline says nightly curfews were imposed in Paris and other major cities for as long as necessary. The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that further protests are planned for Saturday. It said left-wing groups involved in the 2018 yellow vest rallies over the cost of living are planning them.

Those rallies included some violence, but the newspaper distinguished them from the widespread looting it described during the previous weekend.

In a separate report included in the same account, police in Limoges announced on Tuesday that a suspect in an arson attack on the historic town hall on Saturday night was a member of an “ultra-left” group and had been on a security watch list. The report does not connect that incident to the Paris shop break-ins.

The events and planned demonstrations described here make the troop deployment and security measures the immediate focus, while shopkeepers’ accounts show the direct cost of the looting to businesses near Place de la Republique.