He barricaded himself in to defend the only thing he had.
In October 2026, Paris was burning amid violent protests over the cost of living that shook all of France. A mob was trying to break into and loot a restaurant whose owner, who was of Chinese origin, decided to resist from his own balcony. He had no weapon or plan: he had perfume.
And he started spraying it on the protesters. The video went viral on Instagram and Twitter, especially because of the explanation the shopkeeper reportedly gave: he was spraying them with perfume “because they stank”. The scene was so surreal that half the internet didn’t know whether to laugh or worry about him.
But the gesture didn’t disarm anyone. On the contrary, it enraged the attackers even more, and they retaliated, ultimately setting the restaurant completely on fire. It all happened as riots spread to Paris, Lyon, and Limoges, with public buildings and businesses set ablaze and hundreds of people arrested. For him, the mockery was the spark. For his business, the end.