Paris Spends 10 Billion Won to Clean Up Graffiti... Protests' Damages Approach 2 Trillion Won

Last weekend, Place de la République in Paris turned into a veritable plaza of protests.

Tens of thousands of citizens gathered last weekend at this square, which has been a symbol of democracy and civil resistance.

In particular, numerous protesters climbed onto the Republic Monument located in the center of the square, waving flags and chanting slogans.

However, graffiti left by some radical protesters covered parts of the monument, and the statues and sculptures were covered in graffiti.

Specialized cleaning crews were deployed on the 20th, two days after the protests ended.

Burned soot and painted letters were washed away by compressed water sprayers.

The graffiti that defaced the statues was also removed.

The city of Paris allocates nearly 10 billion won every year just to clean up such graffiti, and it is projected that this year's budget will far exceed that limit.

Since last Monday, about 1,000 people have been deployed to clean roads and sidewalks and repair damaged public spaces.

While the exact scale of the damage from these protests is currently being tallied, public sector damage alone is expected to reach millions of euros, with over 3,000 shops and stores nationwide suffering looting damage and around 1,000 shared bicycles being burned.

The economic damage of these protests in France, as estimated by a global insurance company, approaches 2 trillion won.

The city of Paris has imposed a nighttime curfew centered around areas where the protests took place.

The city of Marseille, which experienced severe looting, even banned public gatherings altogether.

[Sébastien Lecornu / French Prime Minister: One of the main objectives of this curfew is not only to protect the safety of citizens, but also to protect properties such as stores.]

However, general strikes by major labor unions are already scheduled for this coming weekend and early November.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.