MxM News

In one of the boldest art crimes in modern French history, a team of masked thieves struck the Louvre Museum in Paris early Sunday, stealing a collection of jewels once belonging to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. According to French media, the heist unfolded in just ten minutes — between 9:30 and 9:40 a.m. — as three men disguised as construction workers used a mechanical lift and power tools to access a second-floor balcony of the Apollon Gallery, home to some of France’s most treasured artifacts. Police say the burglars shattered a window, smashed glass display cases, and fled on two motor scooters through the heart of Paris as panicked tourists watched officers flood the museum courtyard. Investigators said the group made off with at least nine pieces, including a necklace, brooch, and tiara tied to Napoleon’s imperial court, though forensic teams are still confirming the exact inventory and value. One damaged crown — believed to have belonged to Napoleon’s wife, Empress Eugénie — was later found discarded near the gallery. The French Interior Ministry called the theft “an intolerable attack on our national heritage,” adding that while the jewels’ market value can be calculated, “their historical significance is beyond measure.”

And here are the first images from the Louvre heist — inside the Apollo Gallery, where it all took place.

A man dressed as a construction worker breaks open a display case.

Museum visitors walk by, unaware that a robbery is unfolding right beside them.

How does something so… https://t.co/whDblfNiYY pic.twitter.com/LQv6jCFqs9

— Muse (@xmuse_) October 19, 2025

Authorities are investigating whether the mechanical lift used in the break-in was part of ongoing renovation work at the site, a potential inside assist that could explain how the thieves breached the museum so efficiently. “The suspects appeared to know exactly where they were going,” one investigator told ABC News, noting that the men wore construction vests and hoods to blend in with workers already on site. One suspect reportedly stood guard outside as the others executed the theft with surgical precision. No injuries were reported and no firearms were used, but the crime has rattled both the museum and the French government.

Jordan Bardella, president of France’s right-wing National Rally party, called the episode “a humiliation for our country” and “proof of the state’s decay.” Writing on X, he said, “The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture. This heist, which allowed thieves to steal the Crown Jewels of France, is an intolerable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the state go?” The Louvre — which houses masterpieces such as the “Mona Lisa” and the “Venus de Milo” — attracts nearly nine million visitors a year, making it the most visited museum in the world. Yet the theft comes amid growing turmoil inside the institution. Over the summer, staff staged a mass walkout over overcrowding, understaffing, and what unions called a “collapse in basic security.”

Police now fear the stolen artifacts could be melted down or dismantled to erase their trace, destroying centuries of French history in the process. “The risk is that some of the diamonds could be sold individually, which would make reconstituting the jewels nearly impossible,” a source close to the investigation told Le Parisien. As forensic teams comb through security footage and question contractors, France is once again confronting a painful reality — that even in the heart of Paris, its most sacred treasures are not immune to the growing sense of disorder plaguing the country.

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Minister Gary Anandasangaree said his priorities are getting a new border bill passed and tackling illegal immigration.

Canada’s Public Safety Minister admitted that he has yet to meet with anyone from 123 Christian, mostly Catholic, churches that have been either reduced to ashes or seriously vandalized over the past four years.

Speaking recently before a committee to discuss upcoming fall bills, Minister Gary Anandasangaree was grilled by opposition Conservative MPs on a host of issues from public safety and illegal migrants to church arsons.

He said his priorities are getting a new border Bill C-12 passed while tackling illegal immigration but made no specific mention of tackling the rise of Christian hate in Canada.

Asked by Conservative MP Dane Lloyd about whether he met with any of the 123 and counting church congregations, he replied that he has not, but he claimed he has met with “many members of different church and faith groups.”

“You said you met with synagogues and mosques, which I do appreciate,” noted Lloyd, adding, “Those communities need your support, Minister, but Christian communities also need your support.”

“Why have you not met with any of those communities?” he asked.

Anandasangaree said he was “concerned (about) every incidence of hate at any place, including churches,” but stopped short of promising anything.

He was also asked about allegations that a government employee who works on a local military base near Montreal was the one responsible for throwing smoke bombs into a church service this summer.

Anandasangaree said he is “concerned” about these allegations but did not add any other context.

Canadian Conservative pro-life and pro-family MP Leslyn Lewis called out the hypocrisy of a new Liberal “hate” speech bill recently for being silent regarding rising “Christian hate,” because it does not even mention church arson.

Hate-motivated attacks against Christians are on the rise in Canada. In 2021 and 2022, the mainstream media ran with inflammatory and dubious claims that hundreds of children were buried and disregarded by Catholic priests and nuns who ran some Canadian residential schools. The reality is, after four years, there have been no mass graves discovered at residential schools.

However, as the claims went unfounded, since the spring of 2021, over 120 churches, most of them Catholic, many of them on indigenous lands that serve the local population, have been burned to the ground, vandalized, or defiled in Canada.

The Canadian media has been rather silent on the church burnings.

The government-funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) went as far as blaming the fact that it has not covered the arson attacks much on “staffing shortage.

Indeed, the absence of reports about church burnings was uncovered by former CRTC chair Peter Menzies, who could not find any information on the recent arson attack against All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox in Bellis, Alberta.