France’s Justice Minister, Gérald Darmanin has admitted to security flaws in protecting the Louvre that had led to robbers a day earlier stealing imperial jewels in broad daylight from the famed Paris museum.
Speaking with a news agency, Darmanin stated, “What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels and give France a terrible image.”
He asserted that the robbery, which several newspapers have called the “heist of the century” has cast France in a “deplorable” light. “The French people all feel like they’ve been robbed,” he added.
The far right called the theft “a humiliation” for France. National Rally party leader, Jordan Bardella, said on social media, “How far will the disintegration of the state go?,”calling the heist “an unbearable humiliation for our country.”
After several other robberies from French museums in recent months, the Interior miniyster, Laurent Nuñez, acknowledged that securing museums was a “major weak spot.”
The thieves took minutes to steal priceless jewels from the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum.
A gang of four thieves used the hoist to access an outside window in full daylight when the museum was open to visitors on Sunday morning.
The men used a truck with an extendable ladder like those used by furniture movers in order to get access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo’s Gallery), the gilded room that houses the royal collection and crown jewels.
They used cutting equipment to get in through a window and open the display cases, taking jewels from two cases in the ornate gallery that is one of the most-visited rooms in the museum. Some were dressed in hi-vis jackets like builders.
The Ministry of Culture confirmed that the thieves successfully removed eight items from two high-security display cases. These include pieces that belonged to Empress Marie-Louise, the wife of French Emperor Napoleon I, and others that belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.
The crown of Empress Eugenie was recovered outside the walls of the museum, the ministry said, where it was dropped by the thieves as they fled. The crown contains 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the Louvre.
The culture ministry said that security alarms had gone off when the cases were opened and museum security guards immediately enacted the security protocol. The thieves fled, leaving behind some of their equipment.
The Louvre will remain closed today, Monday, October 20, 2025, for a second day running.
Search For Louvre Thieves Continue
Meanwhile, the French government is under increasing pressure over museum security as police continue to search for the thieves who stole priceless jewels from the Louvre.
Darmanin disclosed that police were working to discover what level of organised criminals had been involved in the highly professional raid. A team of 60 investigators is working on the theory that the raid was planned and executed by an organised crime group.
Darmanin said thag questions could be asked about why the museum’s windows were not secured.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, said on social media that everything was being done to catch the perpetrators and recover the stolen treasures.
As questions were asked over whether enough had been done to secure the vast museum, which has 35,000 works on display, trade unions said that, in general, not enough investment was being made into staffing and security at French cultural venues.
One of the largest arts centres on the planet, the Louvre attracts more than 8 million visitors a year. Its works range from classical sculpture to the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th-century masterpiece and the world’s most famous portrait.
READ ALSO: Ghana’s Party Primaries Lose Ideological Depth – CDD-Ghana Fellow Warns of Democratic Decay
