Apple has blocked iPhones stolen by looters amid the ongoing protests in France, the New York Post reported. What started as a peaceful protest against rising living costs quickly turned violent when rioters began targeting government buildings, public property, supermarkets and high-end retail stores across multiple cities like Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lille. After targeting an Apple retail store and grabbing the latest smartphones, they quickly found out that their loot was completely useless as the devices had been remotely blocked.
Images and videos of the alert message were shared on social media platforms, with one X user commenting, “Protesters raided an Apple Store in Lille, France yesterday, dumbest move ever. Apple’s built-in security features kicked in almost immediately, shutting down the hardware. A message was displayed on the screen, which read, “Please return the device to Apple Lille. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted. The devices began broadcasting their real-time locations back to authorities, making it much easier for law enforcement to track their movements. As per French news outlet Maritima, a Hermes boutique was ransacked by crowds in Marseille. Apart from luxury stores, many supermarkets, clothing retailers, and pharmacies were also targeted. Public property was destroyed, with unruly groups attacking historic municipal buildings, including town halls in Lyon, Marseille, and a landmark building in Limoges.
“Taking iPhones that will get blocked 2 minutes later, the morons,” another user said. “Those products will be blocked, and their location will be identified,” a third user added. Besides Apple devices, the looters also ran away with expensive items from Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Dior stores, according to French newspaper Le Parisien .
