French Protests: Damage Estimated at Over $1b

By Staff, Agencies

President of the Movement of the Enterprises of France [MEDEF] Geoffroy Roux de Bezieux has said that preliminary estimates show the ongoing protests in the country have caused over one billion euros [$1.09 billion] in damage to different sectors, excluding tourism.

Bezieux made the remark in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper on Monday, noting that it seems to be still too early to release accurate statistics about the damage caused by the protests in France although he said the figure could exceed one billion euros.

He said the figure does not include the damage inflicted in France's tourism industry.

The one-week unrest in France is a reaction to police brutality in a suburban area of Paris after an officer shot dead a 17-year-old boy last Tuesday. The protests have seriously damaged France’s reputation as a major tourism hub in Europe.