On the verge of war against the government are the protagonists of its already turbulent political life after the novel-cinematic of the jewels of the European aristocracy of the Napoleonic period in the emblematic Museum of , by apparently professional burglars.
As the French authorities have launched a manhunt to identify the perpetrators who emptied several showcases in the Apollo gallery of the Louvre Museum in just about seven minutes, the question marks about how this was possible are increasing and turning into criticism of the government’s policy, at least in terms of security and public order.
We failed says Darmanen
“What is certain is that we have failed, since some people managed to park a furniture lift in the center of Paris, put people on it in a few minutes to grab priceless jewels and give a terrible image to France,” said Justice Minister Gérald Darmanen.
As he asserted: “The police are working to find out how high up the levels of organized crime are those who were involved in this completely professional raid. 60 investigators are assisting in the case, who are working on the basis of the hypothesis that the raid was planned and executed by an organized crime group.”
How did the thieves act?
This theory of the French authorities does not seem unreasonable, given the fact that based on the evidence four thieves used a lift to gain access to an external window in the middle of the day, when the museum was open to visitors. The attackers, using a truck with an extendable ladder like those used by furniture movers, managed to gain access to the Apollo gallery, a room that houses the royal collection and the crown jewels.
They used cutting equipment to enter through a window and pry open the display cases, taking jewelry from two display cases in the ornate gallery that is one of the museum’s most visited rooms. Some of them were dressed in high-visibility jackets like the construction workers apparently to “fool” any onlookers, given the fact that work was going on at the site.
Indicative is the video that saw the light of day when one of the attackers in a yellow vest and hood opens a hole with a portable wheel in the glass display case, in the famous Hall of Apollo, where precious jewels and imperial relics are kept.
The masked assailants stole nine 19th-century jewels, one of which – the crown of Empress Eugenia – fell on them as they fled and was damaged. It is encrusted with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds.
Questions and criticism
Darmanen argued that questions were raised about why the museum’s windows were not secured.
The far-right called the theft a “humiliation” for France. “How far will the dissolution of the state go?” National Rally party leader Jordan Berdela wondered on social media, calling the robbery an “unbearable humiliation for our country.”
After several other robberies at French museums in recent months, Interior Minister Laurent Núñez acknowledged that museum security was a “weak point”.
For his part, the president, Emmanuel Macron, claimed on social media that everything is being done to arrest the perpetrators and recover the stolen treasures.
The culture ministry said security systems were activated when the displays were opened and museum security guards immediately put security protocol in place. The thieves fled, leaving some of their equipment behind.
With these burning questions about museum security becoming increasingly pressing, unions have argued that, in general, not enough investment has been made in staffing and security at French cultural sites.
“The collections are not safe, the visitors are not safe and neither are the staff,” Ivan Navarro, secretary general of the cultural branch of the left-wing CGT union, told France Info. As he mentioned, the cuts of recent years mean a lack of security personnel for French culture.
