France Riots Saw Pokemon TCG And Video Game Stores Destroyed

Published Oct 19, 2026, 4:25 AM EDT Sam Woods is TheGamer’s Senior Reporter. He’s been in games journalism since 2020 and has undertaken a variety of roles in that time. These have included roles such as SEO Editor, Managing Editor at DualShockers, and Global Head of Gaming, and he's also been seen on the BBC. He was promoted to the Senior Reporter position in 2025 following a series of high-quality reports and exclusives for TheGamer. Since 2020, Sam has written over 3,000 articles and specializes in telling the stories of the people behind the games. He’s interviewed the biggest game directors, some of the industry’s top talents, told the stories of how indie games came to be, and spoken to players about what really makes them tick. He’s also interviewed some of the world’s biggest musical artists to find out how the medium has inspired their work, and TV and Film actors about their roles in video game adaptations. He even hosted a PAX panel in 2021 and made a documentary in 2024 surrounding the creation of a Disney game. Alongside this, Sam focuses on breaking news. He got the scoop on Perfect Dark’s cancellation, provided context on some AI drama, and revealed that Lady Dimitrescu’s actress would love to step back into the character’s giant shoes. These articles have been picked up by the biggest gaming sites, including IGN, GameSpot, and PC Gamer. He also loves to dive into the numbers behind the games. Sam’s journey in games journalism has taken him all over the world. He’s covered Gamescom in Germany, Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, and Tokyo Game Show in Japan, each on three occasions. He’s been learning Japanese since 2024 with the intention of identifying and translating Japanese-language news and bringing it to English-language audiences first, something he’s done countless times. Sam’s first review was 2020’s Battletoads reboot, and he’s since reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokemon franchises. On Saturday, more than half a million French residents protested across the country. They expressed unhappiness with rising living costs, failing public services, and excessive military spending. "Eat the Rich" was seen scribbled on walls, but for the most part, the protests were peaceful and in good faith. Until they weren't. Protests turned violent, and the BBC reported that 1,500 shops and businesses were looted and destroyed, and at least 1,200 people were arrested as scenes of chaos unfolded. While many of the businesses destroyed were premium brands, including Apple, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Versace, some were not. Since the protests, reports have surfaced online that Pokemon TCG and video game stores fell victim to looting, with scenes of despair and heroism on display. Pokemon Cards Scattered And A Video Game Store Owner Stand Defiant In France Protests Over the last 24 hours, scenes on social media have surfaced showing the devastation the French protests caused to local businesses. As night fell over cities like Paris, Lille, and Nice, protests turned to riots and looting, and many regular store owners paid the price. One video, shared by L'infoduNord on Twitter, showed a street littered with hundreds of Pokemon cards. It followed a fire at a TCG store called Le Coin Des Barons. The store stocks Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Riftbound, and Pokemon, and sells products from the extremely popular 30th Anniversary expansion through its website. Another photo shared on Instagram shows a store owner in Nice standing defiantly at the front of his establishment, next to a poster of Goku, with glass shattered all around him. The unnamed man has gained notoriety on social media. A second video shows the man taking a flykick to the back as he returned to his store. What started peacefully turned extremely ugly, with regular citizens paying the price. It's been reported that France's justice minister blamed the riots on a "failure" of the country's security services, including the police, riot officers, and other authorities. France's Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez tried to resign after the protests, but President Emmanuel Macron declined, saying he needed his leadership. Franchise Pokemon Original Release Date October 20, 1996 Player Count 2 Age Recommendation 6+ Length per Game Variable Franchise Name Pokemon