The museum’s management has been accused of prioritizing diversity over competence
The management of the Louvre Museum has been criticized for prioritizing diversity over competence in key appointments, following a daylight robbery in which the French crown jewels were stolen.
The controversy has centered on the Louvre’s security chief, Dominique Buffin, whose appointment was hailed in French media last year as part of a gender-balance drive. Buffin, who previously held posts in the police and the Culture Ministry, became the museum’s first female head of security last September after being appointed by director Laurence des Cars, herself the Louvre’s first woman to hold the position.
Marion Marechal, a member of the European Parliament and niece of veteran right-wing politician Marine Le Pen, said France had become the “laughingstock of the world” over what she called the “ridiculous theft.”
“This humiliation cannot go unanswered,” Marechal wrote on X on Monday, urging Culture Minister Rachida Dati to demand the immediate resignation of des Cars and Buffin, whom she accused of being appointed “as part of a feminization policy.”
Marechal said the approach came “at the cost of forgoing competence and endangering the nation’s cultural heritage.”
The Louvre, home to masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, has faced criticism for security lapses and modernization delays. A state audit had found security systems “old and inadequate” before the heist. Former Louvre director Pierre Rosenberg warned as early as 1998 that the museum’s security remained “fragile.”
Investigators said they were pursuing several leads and had not ruled out an inside job, though early evidence pointed to organized crime. The Louvre remained closed to visitors on Monday as police reviewed CCTV footage.
