Woman who stood up to Paris looters in viral video 'is 24-year-old actress' - as internet salutes her bravery

A woman who went viral for bravely standing up to the Paris rioters, screaming at them to stop looting a supermarket at the height of the mayhem, has been identified as a 24-year-old actress by French media. 

Drama student and model Emma Kunstlich, 24, was horrified when youths clad in balaclavas began smashing shop windows and looting before her eyes, according to French newspaper Le Monde.

Clearly distraught at seeing the mob ransacking the shelves of the convenience store near Place de la Republique, while a male assistant watches helplessly, footage showed the woman trying to block the door to the shop.

Eventually she is pushed out of the way by the thugs, as one of them holds onto her and she screams 'Stop, stop why are you doing this? This is not the cause!'

She added: 'Hey, don't touch me! Stop. What's the point of doing this?

'There's a man inside, by himself! Look! Stop this!'

Her identity was first confirmed by the news organisation. She told them: 'They don't even have a political message. They're just breaking things and stealing, without grasping the consequences of their actions.

'And if the RN [far-right National Rally, led by Jean-Marie Le Pen] comes to power, we're all going to be in deep s**t!'

A source later confirmed to Le Monde that they had been able to confirm Ms Kunstlich's identity amid global speculation. 

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

The woman was pushed aside by looters, while pleading to them: 'This is not the cause' 

The clip, which quickly went viral on social media, gained traction with many who sympathised with the anti-government protest, but drew the line at the mindless looting and vandalism which has scarred Paris and other French cities.

As the clip rapidly spread around social media, some posters inevitably added their own spin, such as claiming that she was the owner of a boutique and it was her shop being looted.

Others suggested she had somehow been an enthusiastic advocate for migrants and was now being 'repaid'. There is no evidence to back any of these claims up. 

It comes as dozens of protesters took to the Paris streets on Thursday despite bans on demonstrations ordered in multiple French cities following a weekend of clashes and widespread looting that marked France's most violent unrest in years.

Organisers of the Paris protest said an administrative court in the city overturned a ban issued by police. 

The Paris police prefecture previously said the ban was necessary, given the risk of street violence after groups of masked youth clashed with police forces, looted shops and torched cars over the weekend.

The Paris court ruling was not immediately made public.

More bans were expected in the coming days. French President Emmanuel Macron said such measures aim to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings.

A street barricade burns as clashes between riot police and demonstrators continue for the second day during nationwide protests against the high cost of living in Paris, France, 18 October 2026

A protester dressed as Spiderman gestures as a car burns during a demonstration at Place de Republique on October 17, 2026 in Paris, France

The right to demonstrate in France is protected by the French Constitution, and the ban on demonstrations planned for Thursday in Paris, Lyon, Lille and Grenoble was seen by some as an infringement on French people's right to protest.

High school and university student groups said they will continue to mobilise, even though the autumn school break started this week.

Macron said the strategy adopted for the coming days is to ban protests requested by 'individuals or groups with no legitimate authority.' His remarks came after a special security meeting at the Elysée Palace.

'Where trade unions submit requests to hold demonstrations, prefects will examine them in accordance with the law, but alternative routes will be proposed' to protect city centres, businesses and public buildings, Macron said.

'The rules are simple, and I think they're just common sense. The general recommendation is that there should be no demonstrations in the coming days,' he said. 

'For those who still want to protest, if they are trade unions, prefects will propose alternative routes.'

Macron blamed the weekend's violence on 'actions led by radical far-left groups who aimed to bring the Republic down,' in addition to criminals who came to loot.

The turmoil in Paris and other French cities has prompted a strong security response from the government. 

Demonstrators clash with riot police in and around Place de la Republique in Paris on October 17, 2026

Protesters gather at Place de la Republique during a demonstration in Paris, France, on October 17, 2026

Night curfews have been implemented in some areas of the French capital, as well as in other cities where calm has been restored.

The ban in Paris applied to areas including the Elysée presidential palace, both houses of parliament, and the city's main train stations. Areas in downtown Paris, which were severely hit by the looting, were also covered.

Thursday's planned protests were seen as a prelude to Saturday's big demonstration, when activists from the 'yellow vest' movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019, and the CGT labour union, are expected to join.

Some of those protests, including marches in Lyon, will also be banned, local authorities said.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a 'massive' security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

Union representatives said their meeting with Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals. 

They are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled on Nov. 5, and called on private and public sector employees to join.

The demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff. 

French gendarmerie officers intervene as students stage a sit-in protest outside Sciences Po Paris in Paris, France, on October 22, 2026

French riot police officers intervene to disperse demonstrators during a nationwide protest over rising living costs, fuel prices, and education funding in Nancy, France on Saturday, October 17, 2026

Protestors gather around the statue of Marianne, symbol of the France, at Republic Square during a nationwide mass protest in Paris on Saturday, October 17, 2026

From there, class strikes, blockades and demonstrations spread to other Paris suburbs and then nationwide, even in smaller towns.

High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. 

Some also called for a reform of the university admissions system, seen by many as complex and unfair.

With the government unable to respond to students' demands, the school demonstrations and blockades have morphed into larger protests over soaring living costs, just months before next year's presidential election to choose Macron's successor.