The museum’s administration has been accused of prioritizing variety over competence
The administration of the Louvre Museum has been criticized for prioritizing variety over competence in key appointments, following a daylight theft through which the French crown jewels have been stolen.
The controversy has centered on the Louvre’s safety chief, Dominique Buffin, whose appointment was hailed in French media final yr as a part of a gender-balance drive. Buffin, who beforehand held posts within the police and the Tradition Ministry, turned the museum’s first feminine head of safety final September after being appointed by director Laurence des Vehicles, herself the Louvre’s first lady to carry the place.
Marion Marechal, a member of the European Parliament and niece of veteran right-wing politician Marine Le Pen, mentioned France had turn out to be the “laughingstock of the world” over what she referred to as the “ridiculous theft.”
“This humiliation can not go unanswered,” Marechal wrote on X on Monday, urging Tradition Minister Rachida Dati to demand the speedy resignation of des Vehicles and Buffin, whom she accused of being appointed “as a part of a feminization coverage.”
Marechal mentioned the method got here “at the price of forgoing competence and endangering the nation’s cultural heritage.”
The Louvre, house to masterpieces such because the Mona Lisa, has confronted criticism for safety lapses and modernization delays. A state audit had discovered safety programs “outdated and insufficient” earlier than the heist. Former Louvre director Pierre Rosenberg warned as early as 1998 that the museum’s safety remained “fragile.”
Investigators mentioned they have been pursuing a number of leads and had not dominated out an inside job, although early proof pointed to organized crime. The Louvre remained closed to guests on Monday as police reviewed CCTV footage.
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