Fewer stores affected in France

Merchants across France reported a calmer day on Sunday compared to the previous Saturday, though concerns remain over the financial impact of repeated closures due to ongoing protests. In Rennes, where the demonstration was banned, the Carrefour City store owned by Shawkat Ahmadi, which was looted on October 17, still had its windows protected by particle board panels, one of which bore the message "you are the looters."

Law enforcement presence noted

The store manager said they closed at 2 p.m. and everything went well, expressing relief. A neighboring merchant, who requested anonymity, noted the presence of law enforcement this time, which was absent last week. This increased police presence may have contributed to the reduced damage observed in several cities.

Vandalism levels drop in Bordeaux

In Bordeaux, fewer than a dozen businesses were vandalized according to the prefecture, compared to over 80 the previous week. Municipal services cleaned up the Place de la Bourse overnight, which had been littered with paving stones and empty cartridges after the clashes.

Marseille stores spared

In Marseille, approximately 300 stores in the hyper-center that were looted on October 17 were spared by the march, which did not pass through the area. Their storefronts remain covered with wooden panels, indicating continued caution among merchants despite the reduced threat.

Significant reduction in looted stores

Across France, the toll was incomparable to that of the previous week. The Ministry of the Interior reported 24 stores looted on Sunday, compared to 1,522 stores affected on October 17. Alain Di Crescenzo, president of the network of chambers of commerce and industry (CCI France), expressed relief from the perspective of massive damage and praised the actions of law enforcement, whose numbers had been increased by 20 percent, with 70,000 police and gendarmes deployed.

Mobilization remains strong

The mobilization remained strong for this second Saturday, with 410,000 demonstrators according to the Ministry of the Interior, compared to 550,000 a week earlier, and 800,000 according to the CGT, as many as on October 17. This indicates that while the level of damage has decreased, the number of participants in the protests has not significantly declined.

Toulouse remains deserted

In Toulouse, the city center, which was bypassed by the march, suffered no damage, but remained unusually deserted on Saturday. The windows of many stores were covered with particle board, and several businesses did not open. On the Place du Capitole, the brasserie Les Arcades served 36 meals at lunch, compared to 300 to 400 on a typical Saturday lunch, according to a waiter who did not give his name.

Loss of sales and lack of compensation

In Lille, Farid Bouhmama closed his butcher shop on rue des Postes at 3 p.m., when clashes erupted a few meters away, and then guarded the shop for three hours with "employees and friends." He expressed frustration, saying, "I lost a lot of sales." For merchants, who spent the night before the demonstration "sealing their shops," the major impact remains the loss of turnover, according to Alain Di Crescenzo. However, merchants who closed on their own do not benefit from any compensation, he noted.