France's Priceless Loss: A Glimpse at Political Fragmentation
On October 19, 2025, an event occurred at the Louvre museum that seems as though it was taken directly from a suspense novel. On Sunday morning, a team of four burglars managed to pull off a jewel heist from France's symbol of cultural might, making off with over $100 million worth of jewelry.
The team of thieves pulled this off by parking a stolen truck-mounted furniture lift at the foot of the Louvre to pose as a construction operation in an attempt to avoid attention from security. They did just that, as the lift connected to the truck took the thieves directly to the upper level of the Louvre called the Galerie d’Apollon, a room that holds the nation’s crown jewels. The burglars used angle grinders to cut through a window and display cases, allowing them to retreat with 8 French crown jewels, excluding the emerald-set imperial crown of Empress Eugénie.
The remarkable speed and execution of this heist—less than 7 minutes—has left many questioning how France could allow this to happen to their so-called emblem of national pride. The lack of security at the time of the heist begs the question of how this could happen to a museum of this caliber. However, museum budget cuts over recent years have led to fewer security guards and security cameras, though personnel are assigned more than 700,000 square feet of exhibition space. This is not the first time lack of security has resulted in harm to France's precious Louvre. In 2017, a machete attack occurred following a theft in 1911 of the Mona Lisa. As the French say, it is “lapalissade” —an obvious point—to suggest that something is clearly not as it should be for a heist of this magnitude to occur. But how did this happen?
Despite the general population's understanding, the Louvre is not managed by the city because it is not a city museum, rather one of the state. This means the city of Paris is not privy to any security details of the museum’s protocol. Furthermore, although many have questioned how Paris could allow this to happen, this legislatively is not within the realm of the city. Nonetheless, if the Louvre is considered a showcase for French culture and shared patrimony, holding priceless artifacts of the nation’s history, how could none of the jewels be privately insured? The answer lies in French law, which prohibits entities, such as the Louvre, from insuring its property that has not been moved or loaned.
Despite France’s regretful lack of precaution, the nation has mourned the loss of eight priceless jewels. Of the 8 items that were taken, there were two diadems, one with sapphires, a necklace and earrings of two 19th century French queens, an emerald necklace and earrings that belonged to Napoleon’s second wife, and 2 brooches, one of which belonged to Napoleon III’s wife. Each piece of jewelry served as a tangible relic of French history.
Andrea Friedenson, founder of La Plus Charmante, explained to Bazaar that there are certain instances where fine jewelry is created. Oftentimes materials are cheap but labor may be costly, resulting in less intricate work, or vice versa, where the material is expensive but the labor is cheap, as seen in many ornate designs. However, the crown jewels as displayed in the Louvre demonstrate the work of craftsmanship that produces an artifact through the expense of costly materials and meticulous technique. The artifacts lost to the most recent heist had been crafted for French royalty during the 18th century, and their pricelessness lies in the fact that jewelry like this cannot be replicated using advanced technology, rather it is the product of the most intricate work of the human hand and eye of the time.
The grossly misconstrued placement of priorities that allowed this act of injustice to occur serves as a symbolic demonstration of France’s vulnerabilities under the crumbling pressure of the nation's immense tourism. It is “lapalissade” to state that the jewels, more likely than not lost to the black market, live up to their title of “priceless.” With that being said, the weaknesses within the Louvre that allowed for this event to occur unveil the vicious cycle France seems to have trapped itself within. France has begun to resemble its neighboring boot-shaped country Italy in terms of its massive debt pile fueled by political fragmentation.
It seems that this modern-day mystery conveys a deeper problem within the welfare of France. The nation’s fiscal mess has not only affected the political state of the home of the beloved Eiffel Tower, but now also the cultural heritage housed in the Louvre. It is in the best interest of France to view this breach of security as a wake-up call for the nation’s priorities. Whether or not current government spending is strengthening or weakening the state may be up for debate; nonetheless, this devastating loss can be nothing but a stark reminder of the consequences of prioritizing complacency over self-preservation. Although progressives may view this heist as a symbolic rebuke to France’s colonial history, one cannot help but hope for the return of the crown jewels along with a reformation that reignites the national identity and cultural soul of France.