A cost-of-living crisis and worsening conditions in schools have kicked off a wave of protests across France, and as is tradition, some have taken advantage of the chaos and started looting stores.
The BBC reported that over 1,200 people were arrested during violence, with shop owners left to rebuild after fronts were smashed and stores looted. Through it all, one French video game store employee has gone viral for aura farming while defending the sanctity of his shop.
Warning, the following contains photos and videos containing real world violence.
Photos and videos on social media showed Pierre, a sales assistant at a Micromania branch in Nice, attempting to protect the doorway to his store as rioters harassed him. In one clip, he attempted to chase looters away but was kicked to the ground when he turned his back.
Asaltan una tienda de Micromania en Niza y agreden al dueño por intentar defenderla: https://t.co/kD8OgE2hWr
— Wall Street Wolverine (@wallstwolverine) October 17, 2026
“At one point, I just stood in front to keep people from getting inside — that’s all.” Pierre told ICI. Despite his attempts to defend the store, it was looted and Pierre was struck in the face by projectiles.
“I can’t quite process what happened,” Pierre said. “That might come a bit later, once the dust has settled. I don’t think I should have done it, honestly. It was foolish. But in the moment, that’s what I did.”
Since the incident, Pierre has received dozens of social media messages supporting his actions. Pierre said he appreciates the support, but pointed out that the protests are a symptom of real issues working people across the world are dealing with.
“It’s very kind of them to offer their support — to me, to all the shopkeepers, and to everyone else,” he said. “We shouldn’t forget that this kind of behavior is the exception, not the rule. Throughout the rest of the march, things went quite well. There are a few ‘bad apples,’ but they don’t represent the majority.”
Several other stores were affected by the bad apples, including JD Sports, Decathlon, and Foot Locker. A total of 15 businesses sustained damage, and 85 people were taken into police custody, 40 of whom are minors.
A fundraiser has been launched to help get the shop back up and running, sitting on just over 6,000 Euros at the time of writing. “Following the events and demonstrations this Saturday, the manager of our Micromania Jean Medecin in Nice unfortunately suffered damage and was cowardly attacked by groups of vandals, while bravely defending his shop,” the fundraiser stated.
“Behind every store, there are passionate people who dedicate themselves daily to welcoming us, advising us and sharing with us their love of video games. Today, it’s our turn to show him that the community is here to support him through this difficult time.” It isn’t clear whether the proceeds will go to Pierre or the store itself.