Louvre Museum director quits in wake of jewels heist in Paris : NPR
NPR • • world
Key Points:
- The Louvre Museum's director, Laurence des Cars, resigned amid mounting pressure following the October theft of French crown jewels, ongoing security failures, labor unrest, and a suspected decade-long ticket fraud scheme costing the museum millions.
- The high-profile theft exposed significant security vulnerabilities, with thieves stealing crown jewels worth €88 million in under eight minutes; despite arrests, the stolen items remain missing.
- The museum has faced multiple crises including staff strikes over overcrowding and understaffing, infrastructure issues, and recent revelations of ticket fraud involving repeated use of the same tickets, highlighting systemic control weaknesses.
- President Emmanuel Macron accepted des Cars' resignation as a responsible act and emphasized the need for calm and renewed momentum to implement security upgrades and modernization projects, including the ambitious
