The search continues for the thieves involved in the heist at the Louvre this past Sunday. In broad daylight, they brazenly broke into a second story window of the Louvre museum in Paris. The four thieves used a mechanical lift to reach the balcony. In four minutes they had cut through to the window using power tools, threatened the guards who fled the scene, and stole over a hundred million dollars worth of priceless items. Minutes after that, the thieves made off on their scooters in separate directions.

Many French officials have expressed disappointment and outrage over the incident, including Natalie Goulet from the French Senate’s finance committee. She noted that the incident is “very painful” and that it is “difficult to understand how it happened so easily.”

While French officials are distressed by the theft and police scramble to find the identity of the culprits, the world reacts differently. The company that produces the mechanical lift that the thieves used have turned the heist into a comical advertisement.

HHS student Stella Gutierrez shared, “I think it’s interesting that the thieves were able to break into the gallery housing the French Crown Jewels without triggering alarms until four minutes after they entered.” She explained that “The heist reflects poorly on the Louvre for not having higher security on the priceless jewels.” Stella also noted, “It’s been really entertaining seeing the way people have been reacting to the heist on social media. I have seen countless reels on Instagram making fun of the heist, comparing it to movies.”

Junior Chloe Mankes also explained that she thinks the incident is “…super interesting! I was surprised at how easy the robbers got away and I’ve loved learning more information about the tactical details of the heist.” Chloe was also “surprised that it has been so hard to find the thieves. You would think that there would be enough security measures in place to be prepared for something like this, but clearly they were not. The Louvre is an important place for the French and for tourists, so I am very surprised that the robbers got away so easily.”

Chloe also observed an unserious reaction to the heist across social media. She noted, “I think there’s been a lot of chatter, especially on social media! There’s been a big rise of the younger generation speaking out about it, especially on things like Tiktok. I’ve seen lots of jokes where people pretend to be the robbers in a Day in the Life!”

While the French government and Louvre officials may be publicly distressed with the heist, social media has shown an unserious and comical interpretation of such an unprecedented occurrence.