Paris shopkeepers board up stores ahead of new protests

Paris shopkeepers are boarding up storefronts with metal plates ahead of new protests expected Saturday, October 24, after riots on October 17 left hundreds of businesses looted and destroyed. Jeremy, owner of Hobby One, lost nearly one million kroner in goods when masked thieves smashed through his security grille, and he now builds three-layer barricades. Lionel Mimoun's phone store was emptied in two minutes, with no police arriving for hours during what he called "complete anarchy." Authorities report up to 800,000 protesters nationwide, with nearly 300 Paris shops damaged and damages reaching hundreds of millions of euros. The government has created a compensation fund, but owners dispute who will pay, feeling abandoned as they prepare for potentially worse violence.