It was chaos and anarchy in supermarkets across France as citizens desperately tried to secure air conditioners and cooling fans ahead of the expected major weekend heatwave.
The widespread panic buying began after the budget retailer Lidl promised to stock 200,000 cooling units across its stores, prompting shoppers to form massive queues outside supermarket doors well before dawn.
Supermarket stampedes prompt police intervention
The high demand quickly spiralled into physical altercations the moment the store doors opened. Footage shared widely on social media captured customers brawling in shopping aisles, women beating each other down and screaming during scuffles over boxes.
The unrest forced local law enforcement to intervene in several regions to restore order. In the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, a crowd of over a hundred people rushed a local outlet, damaging the entrance doors in the process.
According to reports from BFMTV, intense arguments meant only about ten shoppers successfully managed to leave the location with a device.
Similar frantic scenes and traffic gridlocks were recorded in areas such as Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Orgeval, and Essonne, where nearly 200 vehicles heavily congested roads near a retail point.
Heatwave and mounting political tension
Disappointed buyers took to social media to complain about extreme stock shortages, with some reporting that certain Paris locations received as few as one cooling unit despite hundreds of people waiting in line.
The desperation follows a devastating spike in temperatures across Europe. Public Health France reported that a previous peak in the heatwave caused a tragic surge in mortality, with daily deaths rising well above the seasonal norm.
The severe weather crisis has rapidly evolved into a political showdown. French Green Party lawmakers have announced intentions to file a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s minority government, citing a severe lack of state preparedness for the recurring extreme weather conditions.
However, government spokespersons have dismissed the legislative move as a political manoeuvre, as the country braces for temperatures expected to hit up to 37°C over the weekend.
Read Also: Why French shoppers are punching each other over cooling units
