Museum management has been accused of prioritizing diversity over competition
The management of the Louvre Museum has been criticized for prioritizing diversity over competence in key appointments, following a daylight robbery in which the French crown jewels were stolen.
Controversy has centered on the Louvre’s security chief, Dominique Buffin, whose appointment was hailed in the French media last year as part of a gender balance campaign. Buffin, who previously held positions in the police and the Ministry of Culture, became the museum’s first female head of security last September after being appointed by director Laurence des Cars, the Louvre’s first woman to hold the position.
Marion Marechal, a member of the European Parliament and niece of veteran right-wing politician Marine Le Pen, said France had become the country “the laughingstock of the world” about what she called “Ridiculous theft.”
“This humiliation cannot go unanswered” Marechal wrote in X on Monday, urging Culture Minister Rachida Dati to demand the immediate resignation of des Cars and Buffin, whom she accused of having been named. “as part of a feminization policy.”
Marechal said that the rapprochement came “at the cost of continuing competition and endangering the nation’s cultural heritage.”
The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, has faced criticism for security lapses and delays in modernization. A state audit found that security systems were“old and inadequate” before the robbery. The former director of the Louvre, Pierre Rosenberg, warned as early as 1998 that the security of the museum was“fragile.”
Investigators said they were following several leads and did not rule out an inside job, although early evidence points to organized crime. The Louvre remained closed to visitors on Monday while police reviewed CCTV footage.
You can share this story on social networks:
