A French video game clerk is being hailed as a hero after footage of him standing alone against rioters went viral.
Pierre, a sales assistant at a Micromania branch in Nice, confronted a mob trying to loot the shop during nationwide unrest on Saturday. The young worker, dressed in a black T-shirt and sweatpants, was filmed attempting to block the crowd as some threw rocks at him.
The confrontation turned violent when one looter kicked Pierre in the back as he turned toward the store, sending him sprawling while onlookers cheered. Despite his efforts, the looters eventually made off with merchandise.
Pierre spoke with French outlet Ici on Sunday about the incident.
“At one point, I just stepped in front to stop people from getting in, that’s all,” he said.
He was blunt about the outcome and his own assessment of his actions.
“I think I shouldn’t have done it in the first place. It was stupid. But at the time, that’s what I did,” Pierre said.
The video of the attack circulated widely on social media, drawing both outrage at the mob’s brutality and admiration for Pierre’s courage. One widely shared clip showed him being struck from behind and pelted with rocks while young rioters laughed.
Since Saturday, Pierre said he has received dozens of supportive messages from strangers moved by his stance.
“It’s very kind of them to offer me support, to offer support to all the shopkeepers, to everyone,” he said.
He was careful, however, to distinguish the violent attackers from the broader protest movement that has drawn hundreds of thousands onto French streets in recent days.
“We mustn’t forget that this is still a minority in terms of attitude. For the rest of the procession, things went rather well. There are a few bad apples, but they’re not the majority,” Pierre said.
The unrest that engulfed Pierre’s store came during what observers have called France’s worst rioting in years, prompting the government to impose curfews in affected areas. The protests have centered on economic grievances and opposition to unpopular policy moves.
The timing of the violence has also drawn political scrutiny. President Emmanuel Macron departed France on Monday for a three-day summit in the Gulf States aimed at negotiating oil deals to reduce fuel prices, a trip that drew criticism as cities smoldered back home.
Pierre’s solitary stand has become a flashpoint in the broader national crisis, with his plainspoken self-assessment — calling his own bravery “stupid” — only deepening public fascination with the clip.