The Louvre's head of security has been accused of being a diversity hire who put France's national treasures at risk, following the shocking heist of Napoleonic jewellery over the weekend.
Dominique Buffin, 46, was hired as the Louvre's first female security chief by Laurence Des Cars, the museum's first female director, last year.
But Buffin, who has worked with the police and at France's ministry of culture, was accused of being hired as part of a 'feminisation policy'.
And both Buffin and Des Cars have faced calls to resign, following the 'theft of the decade' of eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels on October 19.
Eight objects were taken, according to officials. One object, the emerald-set imperial crown of Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugénie, containing more than 1,300 diamonds, was later found outside the museum, French authorities said.
A worker in the Louvre filmed a person in the Apollo Gallery on Sunday morning wearing a yellow jacket and standing by a glass encasing.
Marion Maréchal, who leads the far-right Identity–Liberties party, wrote on social media: '[Culture minister] Rachida Dati must demand the immediate resignation of the museum's director Laurence Des Cars and the security chief Dominique Buffin, whom she appointed... as part of a feminisation policy.
'Evidently at the cost of forgoing competence and endangering the cultural heritage of our nation.'
Dominique Buffin (pictured) was hired as the Louvre's first female security chief last year
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party, said the raid was a 'wound to the country's soul'.
And her protege Jordan Bardella, the president of the party, added: 'This heist, which allowed thieves to steal the Crown Jewels of France, is an intolerable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the State go?'
Even those in government admitted to a serious lapse in security, with justice minister Gérald Darmanin saying: 'What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels, and give France a terrible image'.
Des Cars asked Paris cops to carry out a detailed security audit of the museums she is in charge of in 2021.
Dati said on the weekend that the recommendations from this audit were made 'a few weeks, a few months ago'.
She said the changes to the decades-old security systems were 'beginning to be implemented'.
Her ministry was quick to stress that the systems had not failed, writing: 'The alarms… were triggered. At the time of the break-in, which was particularly rapid and severe, the five museum staff present in the room and adjacent areas intervened immediately to apply the security protocol'.
The Louvre heist has become a wake-up call to other institutions in France, with interior minister Laurent Nunez ordering prefects across France to immediately reassess security measures protecting museums and other cultural sites and enhance them if needed.
The suspected thief was filmed as the group raided priceless jewellery that once belonged to Napoleon and his family
Dati said investigators are working on evidence found at the scene.
'We did find motorcycles and they have a licence plate,' Dati said on broadcaster CNews. 'I also want to pay tribute to the security officers who prevented the basket lift from being set on fire. One of the criminals tried to set it on fire, but they forced him to flee. This allowed us to recover evidence at the scene.'
Sunday's theft focused on the gilded Apollo Gallery, where the Crown Diamonds are displayed. Alarms brought Louvre agents to the room, forcing the intruders to bolt, but the burglary was already over.
Officials said the heist lasted less than eight minutes in total, including less than four minutes inside the Louvre.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15211725/Woke-blame-Louvre-robbery-Female-museum-security-chief-accused-diversity-hire-comes-fire-politicians-say-heist-France-laughing-stock-world.html
Jewels stolen in broad daylight Louvre heist were worth an estimated €88MILLION, Paris prosecutor says - as minister insists security 'worked' on day of theft
The jewels stolen by a 'highly organised gang' in the broad daylight seven-minute Louvre heist are worth an estimated 88million euros (£76million or $102million), according to Paris' top prosecutor.
A group of four criminals swiped eight items from the world's most visited museum at around 9.30am local time on Sunday in one of the most jaw-dropping public robberies ever.
It has been feared that the thieves - who dropped the priceless Eugénie Crown as they fled the scene - may already have broken gems down in an attempt to sell them off.
But Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, who confirmed the eye-watering value of the items today, said: 'The wrongdoers who took these gems won't earn 88million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels'.
Ms Beccuau said the monetary estimate does not include the items' historical value to France as they all date from the country's 19th century royalty.
Around 100 investigators are now involved in the major hunt for the suspects and the gems, which were nabbed from the museum in broad daylight.
The raid sparked a major security concern after it emerged the gang simply propped up a ladder to enter the Louvre's Apollo gallery window before nabbing the diamond-encrusted items.
But France's culture minister has insisted that security at the museum 'worked' during the theft.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau (pictured) said the jewels stolen in the seven-minute Louvre heist are worth an estimated 88million euros (£76million or $102million)
The tiara, pictured, from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Horten that was made in Paris in the 19th century, was taken
Empress Eugenie's tiara (pictured), created by Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier in 1853, was stolen
Thieves also got away with an emerald necklace, pictured, from the Marie-Louise set made by master jeweller François-Régnault Nitot in 1810
'The Louvre museum's security apparatus did not fail, that is a fact,' Rachida Dati told lawmakers in the National Assembly. 'The Louvre museum's security apparatus worked.'
Ms Dati said an inquiry has been launched in addition to the police investigation to uncover what happened, though she did not offer any details over how the thieves managed to carry out the raid given the cameras were working.
She described the robbery as 'a wound for all of us', adding: ''Why? Because the Louvre is far more than the world's largest museum. It's a showcase for our French culture and our shared patrimony.'
The museum continued its shutdown into Sunday night as a meeting was held with interior minister Laurent Nunez and Ms Dati after it emerged security guards failed to confront the gang.
Mr Nunez said the museum's alarm was triggered when the window of the Apollo Gallery was forced and that police arrived two or three minutes after they were called by an onlooker.
The minister also did not disclose details about video surveillance cameras that may have filmed the thieves around and in the museum pending a police investigation.
'There are cameras all around the Louvre,' he said.
Justice minister Gerald Darmanin conceded windows and display cabinets were too easily broken into and there were not enough CCTV cameras in the targeted wing.
The gang swiped the necklace, pictured, from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense. It was made in Paris between 1800 and 1835
Empress Eugenie's brooch, pictured, which contains 2,438 diamonds, was stolen in the raid
A pair of emerald earrings, pictured, from the Marie-Louise set, were stolen in the theft. It was made in Paris by François-Régnault Nitot in 1810.
One earring, part of the pair, pictured, from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortens, was nabbed. It was made in Paris in the first third of the 19th century
The pictured brooch, known as the reliquary brooch, was created in 1855 by Paul-Alfred Bapst. It was taken by thieves in the Louvre raid
The Crown of Empress Eugénie (pictured) was stolen but found discarded and damaged shortly after the heist
'We failed and presented a deplorable image of France,' he said.
The gang, who remain at large, arrived masked and wielding angle grinders before launching their heist.
Footage earlier this week appeared to show one of the suspected thieves wearing a hi-viz vest as they appear to break into a glass cabinet.
The group are believed to have targeted the wing of the musuem by the Seine River because construction works had been taking place.
In the whirlwind heist, the gang hurriedly prised open two display cases and crammed away nine pieces of the 23-item Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte collection.
In total they got away with eight objects including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a matching set linked to 19th-century French queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense.
They also nabbed an emerald necklace and earrings from the matching set of Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife; a reliquary brooch; and Empress Eugenie's diadem and her large corsage-bow brooch, a prized 19th-century imperial ensemble which contains 2,438 diamonds.
French President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Sunday: 'We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15213927/Jewels-stolen-Louvre-heist-88MILLION.html
Paris launches huge manhunt after priceless Napoleonic jewels stolen from the Louvre as the Mail reveals the audacious daylight raid minute-by-minute
Paris has launched a huge manhunt after audacious thieves carried out a jaw-dropping daylight heist on the Louvre, swiping nine of the museum's most priceless treasures including a £100million crown, in just seven minutes.
The gang of several 'highly organised criminals' arrived outside the world's most visited museum at around 9.30am local time on Sunday while thousands of tourists enjoyed a day out at the attraction.
Masked and wielding angle grinders, the gang parked up their scooters outside the Apollo Gallery (Galerie d'Apollon), home to jewels belonging to Napoleon Bonaparte, his wife Josephine and a string of subsequent Emperors and Empresses.
They then extended a freight elevator, resembling a giant ladder, from the back of a flat-bed truck and propped it up against the wall of the gallery, which was opened by King Louis XIV in the 17th Century.
The targeted wing of the Louvre, on the River Seine side of the museum, was undergoing construction work when the gang struck. Employees had previously protested under-staffing at the museum in June.
After scurrying to the top of the ladder, they used an angle grinder to pierce through the museum's external window, before climbing into the Salle 705 exhibition room.
In a whirlwind seven-minute heist, they prised open two display cases and crammed away nine pieces of the 23-item Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte collection, Le Parisien reports.
The treasures included the Eugénie Crown, adorned with thousands of diamonds and emeralds and worn by Napoleon III's empress consort Eugénie, which was later found tossed below a window of the Louvre and broken into pieces.
Several 'highly organised criminals' arrived outside the Louvre at around 9.30am local time on Sunday and propped a freight elevator against its walls before completing a seven-minute raid. A more than seven-minute response time by police seems pretty slow.
Officers rushed to the scene and were pictured inspecting the empty site after a mass evacuation
The gang is also believed to have swiped a priceless necklace and brooch from Salle 705.
By 9.40am they were out of the Louvre, disappearing into the Paris morning on their scooters just as police started to arrive.
When they got there, officers found the huge elevator left up against the museum's historic stone walls.
Further photos showed what appeared to be an angle grinder on the front seat of a truck, parked outside the Louvre and surrounded by police tape.
Meanwhile, thousands of panicking tourists were trapped inside the iconic building while a hurried evacuation took place, before being escorted towards the city's streets on a busy day in the French capital.
Forensics teams were later spotted outside the Louvre, inspecting the elevator and the truck on which it stood.
The historic Eugénie Crown, presented to the empress consort in 1855, was sold at auction in 1988 for $13.5million (£10million) before being donated to the Louvre four years later. It is now worth tens of millions of dollars, expert Josie Goodbody told the Daily Mail.
Salle 705 also boasts Eugenie's diamond bodice bow, although it is not yet known if this was taken.
Among the treasures was the Eugénie Crown, found tossed below a window of the Louvre and broken into pieces
Police gather on the Louvre Pyramid spiral staircase after the theft of Napoleon collection jewellery pieces at the museum
A member of a forensic team inspects a window believed to have been used in what the French Interior Ministry said was a robbery at the Louvre museum
Images appear to show a disc-cutter in a lorry at the site of the robbery, believed to have been used to cut through the musuem's external window
It is home to the Regent diamond, viewed by many as the most beautiful in the world, which was strangely not stolen, according to Le Parisien.
After being crowned Emperor and Empress of France in 1804, Napoleon and Josephine amassed one of the most impressive jewellery collections ever known.
Many of the pieces were stolen from royalty during the French Revolution, while others were taken from around the country's sweeping Empire, which expanded rapidly under the emperor's rule.
The Louvre, with its iconic pyramid entrance, also features Leonardo Da Vinci's 16th Century masterpiece Mona Lisa.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed an investigation had been launched into 'theft and criminal conspiracy to commit a crime' by an organised gang.
The Banditism Repression Brigade of the Judicial Police (BRB) is leading the enquiry, along with the Central Office for Combating Trafficking in Cultural Property.
Mr Nuñez said: 'It was necessary to close the Louvre to visitors, primarily to preserve traces and clues so that investigators could work calmly. The evacuation of the public took place without incident.'
He added: 'We can't prevent everything. There is great vulnerability in French museums.
'Everything is being done to ensure we find the perpetrators as quickly as possible, and I'm hopeful.'
The busy Quai François-Mitterand, which stretches along the Louvre's buildings, was closed off to traffic until around 4pm on Sunday.
The Élysée Palace said that President Emmanuel Macron was being 'informed of the situation in real time'.
Those stealing historical art pieces or jewellery often work for dealers who will be unable to sell the priceless items on the black market.
Instead, the treasures will be kept hidden and enjoyed by the master criminal who commissioned the raid.
Rachida Dati, France's Culture Minister, said: 'I am on site alongside the museum staff and the police.'
She confirmed a criminal enquiry had been launched, and that detectives were liaising with museum staff.
According to Ms Dati, nobody was hurt during the raids, while a Louvre spokesman confirmed the museum was shut 'for exceptional reasons'.
On June 16, staff at the Louvre staged a protest over the museum's lack of staff and overcrowding.
The demonstration delayed the opening of the tourist attraction into the afternoon, causing queues of thousands to develop outside the museum.
High-end art thefts are not unusual in Paris, including at the Louvre, which opened in 1793 after serving as a palace since the late 12th Century.
The most infamous came in 1911 when the Mona Lisa was taken, causing an international outcry.
Vincenzo Peruggia, an employee of the world's most popular art museum, hid in a cupboard overnight to take the painting.
It was recovered two years later when he tried to sell it to an antiques dealer in Florence, Italy.
Before Sunday's brazen heist, the last theft at the Louvre took place in 1998 when Le Chemin de Sevres (The Sevres Road), by 19th Century artist Camille Corot, was plucked off the wall without anyone noticing. It remains missing to this day.
The latest raid comes despite authorities regularly pledging to improve security at the numerous galleries across the city.
Police surround the tourist attraction after jewelry previously belonging to Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte was swiped from the museum
Axe-wielding thieves targeted an exhibition of miniature objects at the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris on November 20, 2024.
Among their haul were seven highly prized snuffboxes, including two loaned by the British Crown.
The daytime raid led to an insurance payout of more than £3 million to the Royal Collection Trust.
In 2017, three art thieves were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for stealing five masterpieces worth almost £100m from the Paris Museum of Modern Art.
A burglary in May 2010 saw works by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse disappear from the same gallery.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15206513/Minute-Louvre-jewellery-heist-scooters-ladder-angle-grinder-stole-crown.html
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