24-Year-Old Actress Identified as Woman Confronting Paris Looters

French media have identified the woman filmed confronting rioters looting a Paris supermarket as Emma Kunstlich, a 24-year-old actress.

According to Le Monde, Kunstlich, who is also a drama student and model, watched in horror as masked youths smashed shop windows and began taking goods from businesses.

Footage showed her outside a convenience store near Place de la République, visibly distressed as looters cleared the shelves while a male employee stood helplessly inside. She tried to prevent the group from entering by blocking the doorway.

One rioter eventually pushed her away and restrained her as she cried out: “Stop, stop. Why are you doing this? This is not the cause!”

She continued to protest, saying: “Hey, don’t touch me! Stop. What’s the point of doing this?”

“There’s a man inside, by himself! Look! Stop this!” she added.

The news organisation was the first to confirm her identity. Speaking to Le Monde, Kunstlich said: “They don’t even have a political message. They’re just breaking things and stealing, without grasping the consequences of their actions.”

“And if the RN [the far-right National Rally, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen] comes to power, we’re all going to be in deep s**t!”

A source later told Le Monde that the newspaper had verified Ms Kunstlich’s identity following intense speculation on the internet.

The footage quickly spread across social media, attracting support from people who backed the anti-government demonstrations but opposed the vandalism and looting that had affected Paris and other French cities.

As the video attracted millions of views, users also circulated unverified claims about the incident, including one allegation that Kunstlich owned the boutique being looted.

Other posts alleged that she had once been a passionate supporter of migrants and was now being “repaid”. No evidence has been found to substantiate either claim.

The identification emerged as dozens of protesters assembled in Paris on Thursday, despite bans on demonstrations imposed in several French cities after a weekend of clashes and widespread looting. The unrest was described as France’s most violent in years.

Organisers of the Paris protest said an administrative court had overturned a police order banning the demonstration.

The Paris police prefecture had said the restriction was needed to prevent further street violence. During the weekend disorder, masked youths clashed with police, looted businesses and set cars on fire.

The court’s ruling was not immediately made public.

More demonstration bans were expected in the days that followed. French President Emmanuel Macron said the measures were designed to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings.

The right to demonstrate in France is protected by the French Constitution, and the ban on demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble was seen by some as an infringement on French people’s right to protest.

High school and university student groups said they will continue to mobilise, even though the autumn school break started this week.

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Macron said the strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by ‘individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.’ His remarks came after a special security meeting at the Elysée Palace.

‘Where trade unions submit requests to hold demonstrations, prefects will examine them in accordance with the law, but alternative routes will be proposed’ to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings, Macron said.

‘The rules are simple, and I think they’re just common sense. The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days,’ he said. 

‘For those who still want to protest, if they are trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes.’

Macron blamed the weekend’s violence on ‘actions led by radical far-left groups who aimed to bring the Republic down,’ in addition to criminals who came to loot.

The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong security response from the government. 

Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been restored.

The ban in Paris applied to areas including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, and the city’s main train stations. Areas in downtown Paris, which were severely hit by the looting, were also covered.

Thursday’s planned protests were seen as a prelude to Saturday’s big demonstration, when activists from the ‘yellow vest’ movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, and the CGT labour union, are expected to join.

Some of those protests, including marches in Lyon, will also be banned, local authorities said.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a ‘massive’ security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

Union representatives said their meeting with Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals. 

They are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled on Nov. 5, and called on private and public sector employees to join.

The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. 

From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns.

High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. 

Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.

With the government unable to respond to students’ demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year’s presidential election to choose Macron’s successor.