France presses resale platforms to take down goods stolen during unrest

France's digital minister, Anne Le Henanff, is demanding that online marketplaces immediately remove listings for goods allegedly stolen during street violence over the weekend. The unrest was among the worst in the country in years and came six months before the presidential election to choose a successor to Emmanuel Macron.

The violence followed weeks of student demonstrations calling for better conditions in schools. According to the authorities, more than 3,000 businesses were damaged, and many shops were looted.

The minister's demands

Since Sunday, screenshots have circulated on social media showing online listings for items said to have been stolen during the unrest. Le Henanff wrote on X that stolen goods were being offered on certain platforms and that she expected the listings to be taken down without delay. She added that the platforms would also have to work closely with state authorities so that those reselling stolen goods could be prosecuted.

The minister convened representatives of six platforms for a meeting attended by officials from the interior and justice ministries. According to the French commerce ministry, Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Leboncoin, Meta and TikTok were invited, along with Fevad, the French online retail association.

Company responses

Vinted, the Vilnius-based second-hand marketplace, told AFP it applied a "zero tolerance" policy and was actively cooperating with law enforcement and French authorities. The company said its teams had acted immediately since the weekend to identify and remove listings that might involve stolen goods and had strengthened monitoring of suspicious listings, though it did not specify the scale of the problem.

The online auction platform eBay said it could not confirm an increase in listings potentially linked to thefts committed over the weekend. It said it used "proactive technological tools" to detect the sale of stolen goods.