A jewellery heist at Paris’ Louvre museum has cast France in a “deplorable” light, Justice Minister Gérard Darmanin said Monday, while opposition politicians condemned the government, calling it a national humiliation.
Thieves on Sunday broke into the Louvre, one of the world’s most famous museums, using a crane to smash an upstairs window, then stealing priceless objects from an area that houses the French crown jewels before escaping on motorbikes.
The theft, which several newspapers called the “heist of the century”, grabbed headlines globally.
“What is certain is that we failed,” Darmanin told France Inter radio, saying the heist gave a “negative” and “deplorable” image of France. “The French people all feel like they’ve been robbed.”
Emergency Meeting Over Security
The break-in raised awkward questions about security at the museum, which is home to artworks such as the Mona Lisa and which welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024. The museum remained closed on Monday.
The robbery took between six to seven minutes and was carried out by four people who were unarmed but who threatened the guards with angle grinders, the Paris prosecutor has said.
Darmanin said the robbers, who are still on the run, would eventually be found. But that did not soothe the anger over the theft.
This heist “is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How far will the disintegration of the state go?”, Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally party, said on X.
Francois-Xavier Bellamy, of the conservative Republicans party, called it “a symptom of a country that cannot protect its heritage”.
The stolen jewellery included a tiara from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, from the early 19th century, as well as an earring, part of a pair from the sapphire jewellery set of the same queens.
The crown of Empress Eugenie was found outside the museum. The thieves apparently dropped the piece, made of gold, emerald and diamonds, as they made their getaway.
The Culture and Interior Ministries were holding an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the security of the Louvre, officials said.
Meanwhile, the museum, which had been expected to reopen on Monday, remained closed. “Due to exceptional circumstances, the Louvre Museum will remain closed today. Visitors who had booked a tour for today will be refunded,” its website said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
