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A McDonald’s in Paris was left ransacked and heavily damaged after cost-of-living protests exploded into riots and widespread looting that also targeted restaurants, cafés and grocery stores across the French capital — with the city now issuing curfews in two places, The Associated Press reported.
The McDonald’s on Boulevard de Magenta near Gare de l’Est suffered smashed windows and extensive damage inside, according to Le Monde.
Computer screens were damaged — while an ice cream machine continued spilling vanilla onto a ketchup-covered floor, the outlet reported.
MASSIVE FIRE DESTROYS 400-YEAR-OLD FOOD MARKET, LEAVING HISTORIC LANDMARK IN RUINS
Intruders even attempted to cook french fries before a man and his dog drove about 20 people from the restaurant, a security guard told the publication.
Digital reached out to McDonald’s for comment about the vandalism.
The American-based fast-food chain was hardly the only food business to be caught up in the destruction.
A McDonald’s in Paris was vandalized during violent protests in the city, with looters even trying to cook french fries in the middle of the destruction. (Jack Taylor/Reuters)
A neighborhood café was burned out, a wine shop was destroyed and supermarkets were among the businesses targeted as unrest swept Paris.
Among the hardest hit was La Barrique, a neighborhood café near Place de la République that was burned out, according to Le Monde.
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The son of the café’s owners told the outlet his mother was inside when the business was attacked and was later taken to a hospital with a head injury.
Grocery stores were hit hard as well.
Windows were smashed as the American-based fast-food chain was extensively damaged. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
The Franprix, Monoprix, Picard and Carrefour City locations were among the grocery retailers targeted during the unrest, according to French news agency AFP.
At a Franprix on Rue Beaurepaire near Place de la République, shelves were emptied and products were either stolen or crushed on the floor.
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Looters elsewhere were seen leaving supermarkets carrying bags filled with food, juice and alcohol, Le Monde reported.
An Intermarché Express on Boulevard de Magenta was also looted. A crew from Euronews said they were assaulted by masked individuals while reporting near the supermarket.
Graffiti was visible outside a McDonald’s after violent clashes throughout the city. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)
A Nicolas wine shop on Boulevard de Magenta was also destroyed — with shattered bottles and wine covering the area outside the store, according to Le Monde.
The destruction was part of widespread violence that followed demonstrations Saturday over the rising cost of living and other grievances.
“These are not protests anymore.”
French-born restaurateur Olivia Ostrow, who now operates Maison Ostrow in South Florida, told Digital the unrest reflects tensions extending far beyond the French capital.
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Ostrow, who was born in Paris and whose grandparents survived the Holocaust, expressed concern about what she described as rising antisemitism and the role of social media in fueling hostility.
She argued that some demonstrators have embraced political causes without fully understanding the history behind them.
Demonstrators occupy the sculptures and ledges of the Monument a la Republique, some raising their arms while others display French and Palestinian flags, as smoke drifts around the monument. (Aruallan/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
“Those kids and most of those people couldn’t point to Israel on the world map if it hit them in the face,” she said.
Many on social media shared their dismay about what is happening in France.
“I have nothing but disgust for anyone trying to justify this,” wrote one person. “Let me say it, the ones suffering the consequences are ordinary French people, not the government. It’s ordinary citizens who will pay for this, whose cars were burned, whose businesses and homes were looted, and whose physical integrity were threatened.”
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“These are not protests anymore,” another person wrote.
Several European governments are now advising travelers to France to avoid large crowds and exercise caution during their stay, Reuters reported.
