France's culture and heritage are under severe attack after a brazen heist at the world-famous Louvre Museum in Paris, with thieves making off with eight priceless items of jewellery. The shocking incident occurred on Sunday morning when four masked robbers used power tools to break into the museum through an open balcony window before smashing display cases and snatching up their loot.
The stolen treasures include a diamond and emerald necklace once owned by Emperor Napoleon, as well as a diadem with nearly 2,000 diamonds. The thieves also took a necklace belonging to Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France, which contains eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.
In a statement, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin conceded that security measures "failed" in preventing the heist, describing it as an "attack on our heritage". The French government has since tightened security at cultural institutions across the country.
Art experts are warning that if the thieves do not come forward with their stolen jewels within the next 24-48 hours, they will likely be broken down and sold in small parts to avoid detection. This could spell disaster for France's cultural treasures.
The stolen treasures include a diamond and emerald necklace once owned by Emperor Napoleon, as well as a diadem with nearly 2,000 diamonds. The thieves also took a necklace belonging to Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France, which contains eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.
In a statement, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin conceded that security measures "failed" in preventing the heist, describing it as an "attack on our heritage". The French government has since tightened security at cultural institutions across the country.
Art experts are warning that if the thieves do not come forward with their stolen jewels within the next 24-48 hours, they will likely be broken down and sold in small parts to avoid detection. This could spell disaster for France's cultural treasures.
this is so heartbreaking for france and the world... i mean who gets away with stealing priceless history like that? it's not just about the jewels, it's about the culture, the heritage, the memory of emperor napoleon and queen marie-amelie... they're taking pieces of french history and selling them on the black market 
. the security measures failing is a big deal too, i get why justice minister darmanin is saying that it's an attack on their heritage 
. france needs to be extra careful now, tightening up security is just the start... they need to think of ways to prevent this from happening again in the future 
! 8 priceless jewels can't just disappear like that 
. The number of security breaches at museums in Paris in the last year alone has been up by 50% 
, and it's getting really concerning. I mean, who needs power tools to break into a museum? 
It's a safety nightmare! 
And now they're warning that if the thieves don't come forward soon, they'll just sell the jewels apart... that's like losing 90% of their value 
. According to the Louvre's own security measures, there was a window left open for 30 seconds unattended before the robbers broke in 
. It's shocking! The government is tightening up security now, but how can we prevent this from happening again? 
And can we talk about how messed up our justice system is if we're willing to send people to prison just for stealing stuff that's not even theirs to begin with? Like, isn't that just unfair? 
gotta wonder if they could've done something to prevent it, but I guess that's hindsight now 
hope whoever took them shows up soon or those treasures are gone for good 
. This is getting too real for comfort 
.
eight priceless items just waltzing out of there? it's like they had inside help or something 
they got hit by thieves at the louvre museum like wut?! 
. security failed btw 
art experts are low-key freaking out cuz this is a big deal for france's heritage 
. I don't know what to say except that this is just heartbreaking 
.
what's new at the Louvre? Thieves think they can just waltz in and steal priceless stuff because security is lax, lol. I mean, who needs alarms or cameras when you've got a balcony window that's open, right? 
And of course, they had to use power tools, because why not? It's not like they were trying to be stealthy or anything... 
, you feel? Those masked robbers think they can just waltz into the Louvre and steal all that history? I get it, security should've been tighter but still... 2000 diamonds is a lot to be getting away with! 
.
. Fingers crossed that these thieves come forward soon and return the jewels, or else it could be a disaster for France's treasures 
.