“We have entered into permanent crisis management”: in Nantes, concern is growing among traders

In Nantes, there are traders who we listen to, who we receive, who we reassure. And then there are the others. An open letter signed by more than 175 traders from France's sixth city, most of them located in the city center, was delivered on October 28 to the town hall as well as to the Loire-Atlantique prefecture.

Clothing stores, restaurants, opticians, pharmacies, real estate agencies… “Small, large, independent, franchisees”, the co-signatories of this letter are indignant at having until now been ignored by the consultations carried out by the authorities, for the simple reason of not belonging to a union or an association. “We felt abandoned,” they declare, before pointing out the impact of urban violence on their activity.

Professionals point out that the consequences of the October rampages do not stop only at the direct victims of the looting. “All the aid announced requires damage. And those who have nothing broken?