How to Protect Your Shop During Riots: Before, During, After

When demonstrations turn violent, small shops on busy streets are often the most exposed. After the 17 October 2026 day of action in France, the government estimated that about 3,000 businesses were directly affected. You cannot control what happens on the street, but you can reduce the damage, protect your people and make recovery faster. This checklist covers what to do before, during and after unrest.

Sign reading sorry we're closed hanging on the inside of a shop door — Closing early on a high-risk day is often the cheapest protection a small shop has.

Key takeaways

People first: no stock, window or till is worth an employee getting hurt.
Prepare before protest dates: document your stock, check your insurance and plan how you will close.
During unrest, close early, move valuables out of sight and leave if the situation escalates.
Afterward, photograph everything, file a police complaint and declare the damage to your insurer in writing, keeping all receipts.

As of late October 2026, France is in a period of cost-of-living protests. Clashes, burned vehicles and damaged or looted shops were reported after 17 October in several cities including Paris, Lyon, Lille and Marseille, and partial curfews were imposed in some areas afterward. Further actions were announced for 24 and 31 October and a national day of strikes and demonstrations for 5 November. Most demonstrations pass peacefully, but shop owners near march routes need a plan for the days when they do not.

Estimates of the damage vary. The government put the number of directly affected businesses at about 3,000, while other reports said 1,500 to 2,000. The think tank Fondation IFRAP provisionally estimated the bill for the 17 and 18 October violence at about €1.1 billion, of which insurers would bear about €800 million; there is no official figure yet.

About 3,000 Businesses directly affected by the 17 October 2026 violence, according to a government estimate (other reports say 1,500 to 2,000) French government

Before: prepare your shop and your paperwork

Most of the useful work happens on an ordinary day, weeks before any trouble. The aim is twofold: make your shop a less attractive target, and make sure that if something does happen, you can prove your losses and claim quickly.

Know the risk days

Keep a simple calendar of announced demonstration dates and check where marches are expected to go. Follow your préfecture and local news for route announcements, restrictions and curfews. A shop on or near a march route faces a different level of risk from one on a quiet side street.

Document your stock and fittings

Photograph and film your shop inside and out, including the shopfront, fittings, equipment and stock on shelves.
Keep an up-to-date stock list with values, ideally exported from your till or inventory system.
Store invoices and receipts for equipment, fittings and recent stock purchases in the cloud.
Save copies off-site. Your records are no use if they are in the back office that was damaged.

Check your insurance now, not after

Damage from riots and civil commotion ("émeutes et mouvements populaires") is usually covered by multi-risk business policies (multirisque professionnelle), often with a deductible, limits and exclusions. It is not covered by the natural catastrophe regime. Business interruption cover (perte d'exploitation) is optional and usually applies only after material damage to your premises. Read your policy, note your policy number and your insurer's claims contact, and ask your broker about any gaps. This is general information, not legal or insurance advice: your own policy wording decides what is covered.

Common mistake

Assuming your policy covers lost sales because customers stayed away or the street was blocked. Business interruption usually requires material damage to your own premises, and losses from customers staying away or access being blocked are often excluded unless your policy has a specific extension. Check this before you need it.

Harden the shopfront within reason

Shutters and grilles: if you have them, check they work and that staff know how to close them quickly.
Lighting and cameras: check your alarm and CCTV, and make sure footage is stored off-site or in the cloud.
Outdoor furniture and signs: plan to bring in terrace tables, chairs, boards and planters, which can be thrown or set alight.
Cash: keep as little cash on the premises as possible and bank it before risk days.

Check with your landlord and building manager before fitting new shutters or boards, as lease terms and local rules may apply.

Before: plan for your people

French employers have a general obligation to protect employees' health and safety, and the risk assessment document (DUERP) should cover risks linked to demonstrations if your shop is exposed. In practice, that means:

Deciding in advance who can order an early closure (usually you, with a named deputy).
Agreeing adjusted hours on high-risk days so staff can travel home before trouble starts.
Setting up a contact chain so everyone can be reached and accounted for.
Telling staff clearly that they must never try to stop looters or confront anyone.

Pro tip

Write a one-page "closing early" card and tape it inside the till drawer: who decides, the order of steps (customers out, outdoor furniture in, cash to the safe, shutters down, alarm on, staff leave together) and three phone numbers. In a tense moment, nobody remembers a long plan.

Small sign reading closed hanging from a string behind a glass shop door — A clear closing routine lets staff lock up quickly and leave safely together.

During: close safely and step back

When unrest is expected near your shop, or starts unexpectedly, the priority is to get people away safely. Property can be repaired or claimed; injuries cannot be undone.

Decide early. If a march is heading your way or tension is rising, close before it arrives rather than waiting.
Get customers out calmly and lock the door.
Bring in anything outside: tables, chairs, boards and displays.
Move valuables out of sight and away from windows, and put cash in the safe.
Close shutters, set the alarm and switch off non-essential power if that is part of your routine.
Leave together by a route away from the demonstration, and confirm everyone is home safely.

If you are caught inside as trouble starts, stay away from windows, move to a back room and call emergency services (17 for police or 112 in France) if you are in danger. Do not go back to the shop until the area is calm and any curfew has lifted.

Hypothetical example

Imagine "Maison Petit," a small gift shop on a main boulevard. On a protest afternoon, the owner sees on local news that the march is being diverted toward her street. She closes at 14:30, brings in the window display, banks the morning's cash at the machine nearby and sends both employees home by tram before the crowd arrives. That evening a window is cracked. Because she has photos of the shop from the previous week, a stock list and her insurer's details ready, she files a police complaint and declares the damage within days. The names and events here are made up.

After: record, report and recover

Once it is safe to return, act methodically. What you do in the first days shapes how smoothly your claim goes.

Secure the premises. Board up broken windows and doors to prevent further damage or theft, and keep receipts for emergency repairs.
Photograph and film all damage before you clean up, including the outside, the inside and damaged stock.
List stolen or damaged items with invoices, values and quantities.
File a police complaint (dépôt de plainte) and keep the receipt.
Declare the damage to your insurer in writing. After the 17 October 2026 violence, insurers extended the deadline to 30 days, compared with the usual 5 working days for most claims and 2 working days for theft. Do not rely on extended deadlines in future events: declare as soon as you can.
Keep damaged goods until the loss adjuster (expert) has visited, unless they pose a hazard.

30 days Extended deadline insurers granted to declare damage after the 17 October 2026 violence (normally 5 working days, 2 for theft) France Assureurs (as reported)

France Assureurs also pledged faster payouts and advance payments. Separately, the French state can be held liable for damage caused by crimes committed by gatherings under article L211-10 of the Code de la sécurité intérieure; claims go through the préfecture or the courts and usually cover what insurance does not. After the 2023 riots, the government offered tax and social charge payment delays and an exceptional aid form for affected businesses. As of 23 October 2026, check official sites (economie.gouv.fr, impots.gouv.fr, urssaf.fr, your préfecture and your chamber of commerce) for any 2026 aid scheme, as details had not been confirmed.

Reopen and reassure

Tell customers when you will reopen, through your website, social media and a sign on the door. If you can trade online or offer click-and-collect while repairs happen, say so. Talk to your staff about what happened and check how they are doing.

Before, during and after checklist

Before: keep a calendar of protest dates and check march routes
Before: photograph your shop and stock and store invoices in the cloud
Before: read your policy for riot cover, deductibles and business interruption conditions
Before: check shutters, alarm and CCTV, and minimize cash on site
Before: write a closing-early card and set up a staff contact chain
During: close early, bring in outdoor items, secure valuables and leave together
After: secure the premises and keep repair receipts
After: photograph damage, list losses, file a police complaint
After: declare to your insurer in writing and keep damaged goods for the expert
After: check official sites for any state aid or payment delays

Frequently asked questions

Should I board up my shop before a protest?

It depends on your location and the risk. Shops on announced march routes or in areas with past damage often use shutters or boards. Check with your landlord first, and weigh the cost against the risk. Closing early and removing valuables helps in every case.

Is riot damage covered by my insurance?

In France, riot and civil commotion damage is usually covered by multi-risk business policies, often with a deductible, limits and exclusions. It is not covered by the natural catastrophe regime. Lost revenue is covered only if you have business interruption cover, and usually only after material damage. Check your own policy and ask your insurer.

Can I clean up before the insurer visits?

You should secure the premises to prevent further damage, and you can carry out urgent repairs if you keep the receipts. Photograph everything first, and keep damaged goods until the loss adjuster has seen them, unless they are a hazard.

What should my staff do if looting starts?

Nothing that puts them at risk. Staff should never try to stop looters. They should move away from windows, go to a safe area or leave by a safe route, and call emergency services if in danger.

The bottom line

Protecting a shop during riots is mostly about preparation: knowing the risk days, documenting your stock, understanding your insurance and having a clear plan to close and leave safely. During unrest, people come first. Afterward, careful records, a police complaint and a prompt written claim make recovery faster.

The details of insurance deadlines and state help can change from one event to the next, so check your insurer and official French sites for the latest information each time.