A jewellery heist at Paris ’ Louvre museum has cast France in a “deplorable” light, Justice Minister Gérard Darmanin said Monday, while opposition politicians condemned the government, calling it a national humiliation.

Thieves on Sunday broke into the Louvre, one of the world’s most famous museums, using a crane to smash an upstairs window, then stealing priceless objects from an area that houses the French crown jewels before escaping on motorbikes.

The theft, which several newspapers called the “heist of the century”, grabbed headlines globally.

“What is certain is that we failed,” Darmanin told France Inter radio, saying the heist gave a “negative” and “deplorable” image of France. “The French people all feel like they’ve been robbed.”

Emergency Meeting Over Security

The break

See Full Page