Moment looters target Louis Vuitton, Dior and other luxury stores as they cause havoc in France

Looters were filmed smashing their way into designer stores to steal luxury items during a weekend of 'unrestrained violence' in France.

President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday vowed to crack down on the disorder as he made an impassioned plea 'for unity' amid the widespread chaos.

Footage shows dozens of hooded young men swarming the high-end stores – leaving shelves of expensive jewellery and clothing entirely bare.

In one clip, a group of thugs appears to ram a metal gate into a Louis Vuitton glass shopfront in Marseille before attempting to kick it down.

Footage filmed later shows bits of debris on the floor while the inside of the shop has been completely emptied.

In another video, the full extent of damage on a Christian Dior Paris store can be seen as the glass door is shattered and the remains of luxury items are carelessly thrown on the ground.

Rolex watches were also swiped from their packaging in Marseille, with far-Left-inspired graffiti plastered over the tattered remains of shopfronts.

It comes despite initial claims that activists were protesting against France's crumbling education system.

Dozens of hooded young men are seen piling into a Louis Vuitton store, with some even filming the moment on their phones

Someone posted on X: 'Rolex and Louis Vuitton: Marseille vandalized by burglars!! Is it the fault of the police or not??'

Empty Rolex boxes are seen here. They were swiped from their packaging in Marseille, with far-left-inspired graffiti plastered over the tattered remains of shopfronts

Demonstrators have now been joined by numerous other social groups, including the infamous Yellow Vests – or Gilets Jaunes – which brought chaos to France at the start of Mr Macron's time in office over a sharp increase in diesel taxes.

Laurent Nuñez, the Minister of the Interior, highlighted the 'significant mobilization of the far-Left movement' within the rioters.

He said these included radical groups such as Antifa, the NPA New Anticapitalist Party and another called Permanent Revolution.

Over the weekend, nearly 2,400 people were arrested and 1,000 police were wounded.

On Friday, a distraught woman was seen begging rioters in France not to loot a supermarket.

She was heard asking 'why are you doing this' and screaming 'this is not the cause' as a group of young male rioters pushed past her into the smashed shop.

In footage, the crowd then appeared to cheer as the balaclava-clad looters left the store with arms full of stolen goods.

In another striking video from Nice, a comic book shop owner was seen trying to defend his business as looters appeared to have smashed their way in.

A woman is seen pleading with rioters not to loot a shop, asking: 'Why are you doing this?' 

Looting takes place at the Lille Olympique Sporting Club during widespread protests and rioting in France

A crowd of people are seen looting an SFR mobile phone store in Paris during nationwide cost-of-living protests

One person captioned a post 'crazy' after someone was recorded walking through the street with a large box amid widespread looting

In a live TV address on Sunday night, Mr Macron said: 'Businesses have been looted, while public buildings, shops, and town halls have been attacked'

He stepped out to confront a rioter and shouted to the crowd but was knocked to the ground by a looter who kicked him in the back.

The shops are among many buildings and businesses damaged so far amid the disorder.

The iconic Limoges Town Hall, which was built in 1883 and survived both world wars, came tumbling down in a blaze after it was torched by rioters in the south-west of France.

A video seen by hundreds of thousands of people on X showed the building, which played a significant role in the French Resistance during the Second World War, collapsing, with its bell tower engulfed in flames.

The 'apocalyptic rioting' followed intense violence in recent weeks which saw gangs of agitators taking part in running battles with the forces of law and order.

Protesters have rebelled over the cost of living, education standards and Mr Macron's government, with police earlier this week admitting they had 'lost control'.

Some of the worst violence was in the eastern city of Lyon, where a tourist office was set on fire by a violent gang.

Youths wearing face masks and hoodies broke into City Hall in Marseille, where they vandalised a statue of Marianne, the female personification of the French Republic.

There was also fighting on the Place de la République – the Paris square – and close to the Gare du Nord Eurostar hub, where high-speed trains travel to and from London.

In a live TV address on Sunday night, Mr Macron said: 'Businesses have been looted, while public buildings, shops, and town halls have been attacked.

'Looking at these images, we have all asked ourselves how French people could do this to France.'