France experienced
a day of mass mobilisation on Saturday. By early evening, national authorities had reported 110 demonstrations and 550,000 protesters nationwide, following a broad-based call to action bringing together young people, farmers, trade unions and others around concerns over purchasing power, rising prices and funding for public services. Clashes broke out between demonstrators and law enforcement on the sidelines of the marches. Public buildings were also targeted, with the tourist office in Lyon and Limoges city hall set on fire, while several businesses were vandalised. In Paris, the gaming café operated by Team Vitality on Boulevard de Sébastopol was among the premises targeted.
Videos shared on X show masked individuals striking one of the front windows of V.Hive with an unidentified object, kicking it and then hitting it with a pole. Behind it, a second pane of glass had already been torn out, and one person can be seen leaving the premises carrying what appears to be a monitor. Several people enter and leave the building. In another video, a demonstrator holds aloft what appears to be the trophy Vitality won in September at the StarLadder StarSeries Fall 2026 in
Counter-Strike 2. A separate clip shows a Vitality chair being thrown directly into a fire burning in the middle of the street.
The club’s CEO, Fabien “Neo” Devide, was quick to respond. While thanking those who
“are standing up for their convictions,” he stressed that
“looting and destruction should never have a place in these struggles.” Neo expressed his deep sadness just hours after Vitality’s
VALORANT team had qualified for the Champions final in Shanghai.
“I’ve just experienced a waking dream with our performance in Shanghai, and today, thousands of miles away, I’m watching a part of myself go up in smoke. … Tonight, I’m simply deeply saddened.”The club president also reflected on the purpose behind the gaming café. “As a reminder, V.Hive was born from the dream of a child who grew up discovering and falling in love with esports in gaming cafés, at a time when having an internet connection at home was still too expensive. Since it opened, gaming sessions have cost €3.50 an hour. That is no coincidence. We have always wanted teenagers and people on lower incomes to be able to come and play, meet up and share their passion at an affordable price.”
Aerzia, V.Hive’s manager,
also clarified on X that
“no one was injured, and the venue was closed to both the public and staff.” Contacted by
Sheep Esports, Vitality was not yet in a position to provide further details about the extent of the damage.
