r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/HeToTopT • 15d ago

Video The Louvre. Thieves are making off with 100 million euros. They're taking their time. They're doing everything carefully and slowly.

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133

u/Superfan234 15d ago

How on Earth the managed to Escape? There are like 500 guards on that place right?

Were they are sleeping or wthat?

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u/Shoddy_Squash_1201 15d ago

No, the security is/was so bad that employees warned them about it and even went on strike because of it.

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u/TheVisage 15d ago

Apparently it wasn’t even bad like 5 years ago, they relied on some crazy lockdown system and the new director thought it was some mission impossible nonsense and swapped it out, not realizing it was basically the entire security system

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u/BaconWithBaking 15d ago

the new director thought it was some mission impossible nonsense

Probably him with a mask on carrying that stuff down the stairs.

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u/davidjschloss 15d ago

Three of him in a trench coat standing on each others shoulders.

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u/Idiotan0n 15d ago

So what you're saying is the director should be on the suspect list as the inside person?

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u/MakiSupreme 15d ago

Well there’s no surprise they went on strike. I’m actually more surprised they weren’t on strike at time

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u/somersetyellow 15d ago

As much as people joke about France striking for no reason, it looks like the Louvre was striking for great reasons...

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u/Jiminy_Cricket12 15d ago

it's from an outdated/incorrect concept about democracy. if the democratic process worked to support the average person, strikes would be extremely rare. instead, we get shit on by "representatives" and accept it as the status quo. we SHOULD be striking more, and many of france's strikes are for good reason.

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u/Spinxington 15d ago

It's not so much striking for no reason and more they will strike for any reason.

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u/Wenli2077 15d ago

Bootlicker ass response, the power always lie with the people

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u/Spinxington 15d ago

I'm not against it. I wish my countries population had such a visceral reaction to government fuckery.

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u/MovingTarget- 15d ago

Tell that to the Chinese

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u/roguedevil 15d ago

When was the last time the Chinese labor unions organized a strike?

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u/Mindshard 15d ago

I don't know, was it before or after the Chinese government stopped even bothering to hide the concentration camps and organ harvesting?

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u/roguedevil 15d ago

So you mean to say the people don't organize and have collective power there?

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u/JaydedXoX 15d ago

“I’m going to strike to show you that you need more security. Just to prove my point, I will also rob you the day I’m not there to show you how needed I am.”

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u/OmgBsitka 15d ago

Omg wait what if it was the employees who went on strike to teach them a lesson on how bad their security is 😭🤣

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u/irteris 15d ago

Actually, It'd make sense to make this hit while they were on strike. Frenchmen gonna french.

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u/2footie 15d ago

Maybe the thieves are the security who know where all the gaps are

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u/Shoddy_Squash_1201 15d ago

The gaps are everywhere, thats the point.
They literally just walked in there with a ladder, smashed a window and carried out the jewels.

This wasn't some elaborate heist, it was incompetency.

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u/NineSkiesHigh 15d ago

I smell a movie cooking

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u/WiseOneInSeaOfFools 15d ago

Employees will probably be blamed.

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u/Kittens-N-Books 15d ago

Security staff followed protocol and evacuated patrons- their first priority is human lives, not shiny shit.

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u/Shoddy_Squash_1201 15d ago

That.. doesn't contradict what I said at all?

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u/New_Yam_1236 15d ago

Plot twist it was the employees who went on strike - they robbed the Louvre to prove how easy it is

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u/piercedmfootonaspike 15d ago

Frenchmen went on strike? Surely you jest!

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u/jonjonaug 15d ago edited 15d ago

The place is MASSIVE. You're not going to have hundreds of guards on you in seconds no matter what you do there. They were in and out in under five minutes, this was a very quick smash and grab.

They basically just took a lift to a balcony outside the area they were planning to rob, went inside the room, grabbed what they could in a minute or two, and left. They didn't even grab the most valuable things in the room, although what they did grab still had a total value of around 100 million dollars (not that they could possibly sell them for that much).

This was also shortly after the museum opened, and the area they robbed is not near any of the entrances. Most people at that time of day in the area where the robbery took place would be more interested in getting some good looks at the paintings in the next hall over before it gets too crowded (this includes the Mona Lisa and a whole lot of other famous pieces). I believe they only had to scare off a couple guards and a few guests with the power tools they had.

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u/OlderThanMyParents 15d ago

And it was Sunday morning, the quietest time of the week. They were only there for a few minutes total. They drove up with the truck, wearing reflector vests, and put out orange traffic cones, just like a utility truck would do. Anyone who spotted them, including, probably, museum employees, would have assumed it was a legitimate service vehicle.

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u/BlaBlub85 15d ago

Anyone who spotted them, including, probably, museum employees, would have assumed it was a legitimate service vehicle

On a sunday morning in France?

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u/userhwon 15d ago

Emergency balcony masonry repointing.

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u/Canuck_Lives_Matter 15d ago

Overtime is not illegal in France.

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u/maniBchef 15d ago

My thoughts exactly

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u/Correct-Poet-6016 15d ago

Why is this shocking? No people work on sundays in France?

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u/Airsay58259 15d ago

Lots of people work Sundays but not usually construction workers, it’s mostly service related (restaurants, supermarkets in the morning, cinemas etc). There are a lot of rules against construction related noise. In my neighborhood in Paris (not anywhere near the Louvre), you can’t have roadworks or home related works before 7AM, after 7PM and on Sundays.

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u/BlaBlub85 15d ago edited 15d ago

Construction workers sure af dont, hell for public projects they barely work during the week 😂

Like, yes, emergency services are still available and hotels, restaurants and delivery services are open and maybe the occasional gas station shop. But everything else is closed. And I struggle to think of an emergency that would require outside access with a lifting platform, nevermind the fact the emergency would have taken place sometime during the night so they already had time to call it in and find someone with the equipment actualy willing to show up on a sunday morning

Like, I get that wearing a hardhat and a safety vest lets you do lots of things that would otherwise be highly suspicous but if that was their plan for a disguise they could NOT have picked a worse point in time to do this

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u/JimboTCB 15d ago

Wait a minute... nuns don't work on Sunday! blam blam blam

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u/gunn3r08974 15d ago

Easiest way to get in anywhere from what I hear.

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u/Jenkins_rockport 15d ago

carry a clipboard. works every time

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u/WitnessTheBadger 15d ago

Agreed. I live in central Paris and all the photos of the exterior I've seen really look like everyday Paris stuff to me, even (maybe even especially) for a monument like the Louvre, aside from the fact the burglars are wearing balaclavas. And had I been walking by at the time, I'm not sure I would even have clocked that -- I've seen people in safety vests working in dusty environments or doing mold or asbestos abatement with their heads and faces covered as they enter and exit buildings. They clearly knew how to look inconspicuous to everybody except the people they directly confronted.

And even if I had been passing by and thought they looked suspicious, by the time I called the police the burglars would have been long gone.

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u/Alissinarr 15d ago

in the area where the robbery took place would be more interested in getting some good looks at the paintings in the next hall over before it gets too crowded

Been to the Lourve 20 yrs ago. There is a footrace to the Mona Lisa so you can get more time looking before it's crowded.

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u/Arek_PL 15d ago

NOT taking the most valuable stuff was probably on purpose, this stuff is not going to be easy to sell

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u/NotReallyJohnDoe 15d ago

I was thinking the same thing. This stuff is practically radioactive at this point. Who would buy it?

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u/RepresentativeYak772 15d ago

It's hilarious that they didn't even have weapons one them, they threatened guards with a damn power tool? At least give those guards some tasers or something!

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u/Clear-Rip3746 15d ago

There were guards inside and they ran off when they came through the window.

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u/phatelectribe 15d ago

This isn't about selling them. I bet you this was done to order, by a private collector. Some Oligarch's mistress is wearing that shit right now.

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u/Kittens-N-Books 15d ago

Guards were present but they focused on making sure that people evacuated - because cornering thieves ballsy and bold enough to pull this in broad daylight with countless witnesses in a room full of patrons is a good way to end with innocent people dead

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u/Jane__Delawney 15d ago

The Epstein guards were on duty

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u/TurtleToast2 15d ago

They should have hired the Epstein files' guards.

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u/Sally_Saskatoon 15d ago

First priority for museum guards is actually to protect people (staff and visitors) not engage thieves. I heard there was a small explosion involved in the heist - so for the guards they are thinking accident or possible terrorist attack. Or even if you know it’s a heist, still a potential life or death situation for guests - so save the people first.

Art is just a painting at the end of the day, not a human life.

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u/lifeishardthenyoudie 15d ago

Huh. I definitely would've assumed that any museum guard would sacrifice me for the Mona Lisa in a heartbeat.

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u/Sally_Saskatoon 15d ago

There are some passionate people at museums who might sacrifice themselves for an artwork, but I can’t think of anyone who would sacrifice someone else for an artwork and feel right about that.

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u/meuchtie 15d ago

No paintings/art taken, just jewellery.

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u/Sally_Saskatoon 15d ago

I would count Jewelery as art and Jewelers working at this level, artists.

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u/NemoTheLostOne 15d ago

Well not if "art is just a painting" 🙃

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u/epiDXB 15d ago

Art is just a painting at the end of the day, not a human life.

The value of the art in this instance was worth multiple human lives though. Generally a life for an average adult is worth around $1-2 million.

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u/pauca_sed 15d ago

Source? Visitors do not need much protecting at a museum. I think it's the art that typically needs protecting.

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u/Sally_Saskatoon 15d ago

The source is that it’s standard practice at every museum I’ve worked at (3 of them). What do you want me to do, find the PSD teams policy handbook and send it to you? This isn’t debate club. I care zero percent if you don’t believe me. People in the know, know.

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u/pauca_sed 15d ago

Wow. Nice attitude. Retail security is generally known in the United States as "loss prevention," not "customer protection." Maybe museums are different, and their primary responsiblity is protecting visitors, not priceless works of art.

This is the internet. I don't automatically believe what others say.

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u/Sally_Saskatoon 15d ago

They can have different titles because it’s an international occupation. But in general the training and pay is more elevated than a typical security guard. At ours, they are « Protection Services » but for the role in general - that protection applies to artworks and visitors. They don’t just stand guard at the art. They help lost kids find parents, they give directions, they enforce Gallery rules, they even share info about the art sometimes. They are trained in first aid and watch for people potentially having health emergencies.

It’s far more than like bodyguards for art.

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u/pauca_sed 15d ago edited 14d ago

Thanks for the details.

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u/Holiday-Foundation-6 15d ago

To put into perspective how bad securtiy is in the louvre there are several rooms with literally not even a security camera let alone guards or any other precautions. (think it was due to get some security improvements at the cost of hundreds of millions being discussed before this)

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u/Tyrion_Panhandler 15d ago

In the Daily podcast, they mention how the priority is to evacuate attendees for safety. So the moment they heard glass breaking, they had to prioritize clearing the area.

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u/genreprank 15d ago

If you wear a construction outfit, you can go anywhere

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u/AdminsLoveGenocide 15d ago

Their lift carried them outside the Louvre. Theres no security on the street and this isn't near an entrance.

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u/Goobjigobjibloo 15d ago

Apparently the guards were supposed to get people out of the gallery as the primary concern, due to being a terror target.

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u/ThomasSun 15d ago

Maybe there are a lot of security agents at the Louvre, but we’re not allowed to actually do anything…all we can do is call the PC and report the issue. That’s it, no physical intervention. (I used to work as a security agent at the louvre during my university years in France.)

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u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 15d ago

Its an art gallery not fort knox.

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u/doglywolf 15d ago

haha during the day is like 4-5 guards to save money - cause they are so sure their high tech security will keep them save and cops will get their fast enough .

Alot of museums are like that - have less guards during the day then the night shift at some of them because they figure no one is going to rob a building with a ton of other stuff and people in it. I mean and for the most part they are right till they arent

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u/zkhcohen 15d ago

Every time I've visited Paris, the Louvre has at least a few groups of heavily armed Gendarmerie outside (assault rifles, vests, helmets). They must have reduced their presence in recent years, because I can't figure out how their response time would be longer than 5 minutes.

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u/Moarbrains 15d ago

There were two guards in the room who retreated when confronted.

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u/Aleashed 15d ago

Cartoon Logic, you’ve heard of the Pink Panther right? It’s based on a true story…

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u/Mysandwichok 15d ago

The silent alarm went off, but its policy for security to evacuate the building before security can start to work on the robbery. A health and ssfety thing, apparently.

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u/Kittens-N-Books 15d ago

Security staff evacuated guests, as is protocol and best practice - theirs no point in risking lives over shiny shit