French public rallies behind looted Bangladeshi shopkeeper in Paris, raising more than €90,000

Thousands of French citizens have rallied behind a Bangladeshi businessman whose shop was looted amid violence and chaos in Paris. An online fund opened to make good his losses has collected more than €90,000 within days — beyond what anyone expected.

The incident took place on October 17, a day of widespread violence and street disorder across the French capital. During that chaos, the business run by expatriate Rabiul Hasan in the Boulevard Magenta area was badly damaged and looted in what was described as a planned attack.

The damaged shop is called Rafid Informatics. In the aftermath of the destruction, the businessman was left facing severe mental trauma and financial uncertainty — above all, the question of whether he could afford to rebuild the shop and restock it.

Amid that uncertainty, an unprecedented show of sympathy and solidarity emerged from the local community. Ordinary citizens across France quickly came together, stood beside the affected expatriate entrepreneur, and provided him with financial and moral support.

The help was fast, well organised and heartfelt. Ordinary people turned digital solidarity into real cooperation. A fund was opened on the online crowdfunding platform Leetchi, appealing for help for Hasan's mobile shop on Boulevard Magenta, and it spread rapidly across social media.

In a very short time, by 8pm London time on Monday, donations had come in from around 10,000 donors. The total collected reached €90,403 — exceeding even the scale of the losses from the looting.

For a businessman like Rabiul Hasan, this enormous generosity means far more than financial compensation alone. Local leaders and the organisers are overseeing the distribution of the fund so it can pay for repairing the damaged security shutter and bringing in new stock.

The episode has proved once again that in times of crisis, human compassion can cross social and cultural boundaries. In a multicultural city, the Paris picture has become a powerful reminder of mutual respect and of the struggle to survive.

Alongside the story of destruction, Paris has this time produced a story of solidarity that is inspiring people around the world — and for the countless Bangladeshi entrepreneurs fighting to keep their businesses alive abroad, it carries a powerful message of encouragement.