Famed French photographer’s pro-diversity ‘Living Together’ exhibit destroyed by rampaging football fans during Paris riots

   May 8, 2026  Leave a Comment on Famed French photographer’s pro-diversity ‘Living Together’ exhibit destroyed by rampaging football fans during Paris riots  Posted in Imported News, Remix News

The night between Wednesday and Thursday saw another round of riots from predominantly multicultural youths, who also happened to target a famed French photographer’s exhibit celebrating diversity. The irony of the incident, however, appears to be lost on the photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

Bertrand’s “Living Together” exhibition was located at the Place de la Concorde, which, according to Le Parisien, was designed to “celebrate the fraternity and diversity of France.”

However, following the victory against Bayern, rampaging PSG supporters attacked police, destroyed property, and set a number of vehicles on fire. The PSG supporters during these routine riots are predominantly non-White individuals with a migration background, as countless videos have shown year after year.

This also happens to be the very demographic the exhibition sought to honor and integrate into the collective portrait of “contemporary France.”

On Thursday morning, Arthus-Bertrand took to Instagram and his over 137,000 followers to lament what occurred to his work.

“I was warned last night, and when I saw all that, it was rather sad,” he said.

“This is how I discovered my exhibition on living together in the Place de la Concorde. Clearly, the PSG fans loved the exhibition,” he said, with “irony tinged with bitterness.”

In an interview, he stated: “It was something meant to bring people together, to show the beauty of our diversity. Seeing it destroyed like this is heartbreaking. We wanted to celebrate unity, but instead, we are faced with this. I hope we can understand that respect for art and for each other is fundamental.”

He complained that the “perpetrators pounced” on his photographs. While the photos were battered, he remained defiant: “They’re still visible; they’ll be fixed, but they’re still there. What’s important is that the meaning of the exhibition is still there.”

Arthus-Bertrand said that of the 180 photos on display, about 100 were damaged.

The damage represents “three years of work wiped out in one night.” Arthus-Bertrand said the project involved nearly 90 photo studios across the country to create a “vast collective portrait of contemporary France.”

Notably, unlike many of the people who were injured in this riot and past ones, or the storefronts and cars burned or vandalized, Arthus-Bertrand has access to thousands of followers that he can leverage on social media in just a moment.

Bertrand used his Instagram account to call on these followers, describing “an unexpected surge of solidarity.”

The response was immediate. “There are 30 or 40 people who arrived immediately to give us a hand. In my opinion, we’ll reach 300 given the calls we’re receiving. People are a little shocked to see this, but above all they want to help us,” the photographer said.

He even ended up crying.

“In the end, I was crying last night, and now I’m very happy. It’s a beautiful moment of solidarity, and the very meaning of this exhibition is all the stronger for it. Everyone is arriving, little old ladies from everywhere.”

He then posted: “Long live football… long live photography and above all, long live ‘Living Together.’ We invite you to come and restore this exhibition with all the help of willing volunteers. Join us now, with your gloves and screwdrivers!”

Women on busy Paris transit line describe state of constant fear after rise in sexual attacks

While past riots have led to many injured and many storefronts destroyed, those small business owners and residents cannot simply hop on Instagram and have 300 people come to fix their property or donate money. Unlike a world-famous photographer, these individuals often have no social media reach whatsoever and are left to pick up the pieces in anonymity.

The human cost of the evening was significant. According to the report delivered by the Minister of the Interior, there have been “127 arrests in the Paris metropolitan area and 34 injured, including 23 police officers slightly injured.”

Journalists were also attacked from the conservative CNews station, leaving one cameraman in a neck brace.

Given the context of the violence at the event, Arthus-Bertrand represents the undying religious belief in diversity that has gripped the West, especially his boomer generation in France. Notably, in previous elections, the anti-immigration National Rally dominated among the 25-49 age group, while the 65+ demographic has consistently acted as the “firewall” for the French establishment. While more and more older voters are flipping to a National Rally led by Jordan Bardella, this trend of older voters supporting pro-migration parties has been a trend for the last decade.

As for Arthus-Bertrand and his celebration of “contemporary France,” what is contemporary France anyway? Of course, it is not just propagandistic photos that represent a frozen moment of “diversity.”

It is sexual assaults rising 86 percent on French public transit over the last 10 years, fueled by mass immigration.

It is the reality that two out of three crimes in Paris are committed by migrants or those with a migration background.

It is the testimony of French women who point out the fact that migrants are the ones predominantly harassing them, catcalling them, and even trying to sexually assault them.

It is parents, even from liberal backgrounds, racing to send their children to private schools to escape the violence and educational breakdown seen in multicultural schools.

Bertrand makes his living producing propaganda, but the majority of the French public has a decidedly different view on what “Living Together” means. In fact, polling from this month showed that 60 percent of voters believe France is witnessing “a replacement of the French population by non-European populations.” The majority also see this as a bad development.

Polling has found that 48 percent of French people want zero immigration, including an even higher number of women (53 percent). Much higher rates of French are against non-European immigration, rising to 65 percent in polling. Other polling firms have given even more shocking numbers, with 74 percent of French people saying there are too many migrants in the country and 72 percent saying they backed a referendum on immigration.

France’s Alliance police union calls citizens onto the streets over rising migrant crime as Lyon rally set for January 31

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