French journalist Paul Amar is making a stark claim about the riots that tore through Marseille on Saturday, October 17, saying the attackers came prepared, had the addresses of town halls and of Jewish shop owners, and that on one street every business owned by Jews was set on fire while those run by Muslims were not. His account has circulated widely online but has not been independently confirmed, and the reports of it do not name the street or the businesses involved. What is documented is that a national mobilization against the high cost of living turned violent in Marseille early in the day, with people entering the city hall lobby, a municipal police station attacked, and shops looted across the city center. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry gave a provisional toll of more than 600 vandalized businesses, roughly double the damage from the 2023 riots. Stores hit included sportswear, electronics, and jewelry shops along the Canebière and neighboring streets, and a Boulanger store was set on fire.

Mainstream French coverage so far describes the culprits as rioters and looters, and local business groups said the violence had nothing to do with a protest demand. Most reports focus on chain stores and boutiques on streets such as Rue de Paradis and Rue Saint-Ferréol, and none of the coverage reviewed mentions the religion of shop owners as a factor. That does not disprove Amar’s claim, because a claim about specific addresses would need evidence from investigators, but as of Sunday no prosecutor, prefect, or community body had publicly confirmed it in the reporting available. Marseille is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in France, which has faced antisemitic incidents before, and that is why the claim is resonating and why pressure is growing on authorities to be clear about who was targeted and why. Until investigators identify the perpetrators and the premises they chose, it remains an allegation, and both the claim and any rush to dismiss it deserve caution.