Paris shop owners count losses after 228 stores looted in protests

Paris shop owners are assessing the damage after 228 stores were looted during protests last weekend, with one merchant saying ten years of work was destroyed in 30 minutes. Authorities are deploying 70,000 security forces ahead of Saturday's demonstrations. Mia Hasen, whose shop near Place de la République was ransacked, said the protest itself was calm but looters struck afterward. Police and officials are preparing with armored vehicles and water cannons, while some areas and museums like the Louvre will be closed. Protesters expressed frustration that the violence undermines their message, though they support the demonstrations' cause. Shop owners are boarding up windows preemptively, uncertain whether they will remain open.