The streets in France are deserted, and the supermarkets are empty. Is this true for all of them? No, not the Barbès market in a Parisian neighbourhood. Videos began circulating that are disturbing, to say the least, during this quarantine period. The footage shows dozens of people clumped together, doing their shopping, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
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Furious internet users
Whether it is the health care staff with the #stayathome, the government, or celebrities, the discourse is the same: don't leave your home, for your own good and for the good of others. However, some die-hard French shoppers have chosen to ignore this restriction, and continue to go to the market. The result was a scene that is now the talk of the town.
As with the Parisian parks last weekend, this small market in the Barbès neighbourhood was filled with people. Dozens came to stock up on fruit and vegetables, which are undoubtedly in season. This video, watched a million times since the incident, was posted on Twitter and has raised a lot of indignation.
The Barbès neighbourhood is a microstate that's out of control
Lol nothing can stop Barbès, even the coronavirus is scared to go there
A bit of understanding?
So while it is true that all French people are in the same boat when it comes to quarantine, not everyone has the same living conditions in the French capital. A three hundred square foot (or even much less) flat for several people in quarantine can quickly turn out to be... untenable.
Some internet users have intervened on behalf of these Parisians who went out to do their shopping. Indeed, they highlighted the fact that the Barbès market, like many other food markets, was open, as were the supermarkets. Others explained that the market in this neighbourhood was being controlled by police officers, and that the document required by all French people to have in their possession justifying why they left their homes were being checked at the entrance to the market.
The markets are therefore being strictly regulated, but is this still prudent?
Check out this unlikely scene in our video above!
