Paris Is Being Looted — And They Want You Too Distracted to Notice

7 min readJan 29, 2025

Let’s be real: If you’re still blaming Anne Hidalgo for everything wrong in Paris, you’ve swallowed a corporate-manufactured delusion. The media wants you to think that Paris is being “ruined” by urban planning decisions, bike lanes, or public transport expansions.

That’s a distraction.

Paris is being deliberately gutted and financialized by a mafia of real estate speculators, global finance giants, and short-term rental cartels who have rigged the housing system to enrich themselves at your expense.

The city isn’t being mismanaged — it’s being sold off to the highest bidder.

And the billionaire-owned media running cover for them is making sure that instead of blaming the people actually responsible, you’re blaming a mayor who has no control over the global financial forces ransacking the city.

Let’s stop with the fairy tales and lay out exactly how the biggest real estate heist in Parisian history is happening right now.

1. Blackstone and the Corporate Takeover of Parisian Housing

If you want to understand why rent is insanely high and why working-class people can no longer afford to live in the city, you need to understand one name: Blackstone.

Blackstone is the world’s largest private real estate investor, controlling over $1 trillion in assets worldwide. Their business model is simple:
✅ Buy up thousands of apartments in cities like Paris, Berlin, and Madrid
✅ Drive up rents by “renovating” and gentrifying neighborhoods
✅ Convert homes into luxury rentals or short-term stays for profit
✅ Push out locals who can no longer afford to live there
✅ Resell at massive markups or hold onto the property as an asset

How Blackstone Rigged Paris

After the 2008 financial crash, Blackstone swooped in and bought up entire residential buildings at low prices.
They evicted tenants and transformed family homes into high-end apartments.
Rents tripled in some areas — forcing out working-class and even middle-class Parisians.
These properties were then sold at huge profits or converted into luxury Airbnb rentals.

🔎 Example: The Rue de Rivoli Land Grab

Blackstone acquired multiple properties on Rue de Rivoli, turning them from affordable apartments into speculative luxury rentals.
Families who had lived there for decades were priced out overnight.
The properties now sit half-empty most of the year, waiting for ultra-rich buyers or short-term rentals.

💡 Blackstone isn’t in the housing business — they’re in the financial extraction business.

And who allowed this to happen?

The Macron government, which welcomed foreign real estate investment with tax breaks.
The French courts, which repeatedly sided with landlords over tenants.
The media, which doesn’t dare talk about how financialization is making Paris unlivable.

But guess who they DO blame for high rents? Hidalgo.
Do you see the game yet?

2. Airbnb: The Virus That Hollowed Out Paris

If you think the housing crisis is bad now, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Paris is the most Airbnb-saturated city in the world. And it’s not because “locals are renting out spare rooms.” That’s a lie.

The Real Airbnb Scam

Over 60,000 apartments in Paris are Airbnb rentals.
Corporate landlords own thousands of them, illegally running hotels disguised as “home-sharing.”
Landlords evict long-term tenants because they make 5x more money renting to tourists.
Whole neighborhoods have been transformed into dead zones of short-term rentals and overpriced cafés.

🔎 Example: The Death of the Marais

The Marais used to be a mix of working-class residents, artists, and small businesses.
As of 2024, more than 30% of apartments in the Marais are now Airbnb rentals.
Rent has become impossible for locals, forcing families and small businesses to flee.
In their place? Luxury boutiques, overpriced brunch spots, and Airbnb apartments that sit empty half the year.

Hidalgo Has Tried to Stop This — And Has Been Blocked at Every Turn

She has imposed rental caps — but landlords exploit loopholes.
She tried taxing Airbnb rentals — but Macron’s government sided with Airbnb.
She pushed for harsher fines on illegal short-term rentals — but the courts weakened enforcement.

💡 You are watching a city be systematically turned into an investment portfolio for the global elite.
Yet, the headlines still scream: “HIDALGO IS DESTROYING PARIS.”
Are you awake yet?

3. The 2024 Olympics: The Ultimate Real Estate Scam

The Paris 2024 Olympics aren’t about sports. They are a billionaire-led land grab disguised as a national event.

How the Olympics Will Supercharge Gentrification

✅ Mass evictions in working-class areas like Seine-Saint-Denis to clear space for development.
✅ Rents in Paris have already jumped 30% in Olympic-adjacent areas.
✅ Real estate developers are using the Games as a pretext to “renew” neighborhoods — then flipping the properties at insane profits.

🔎 Example: The Seine-Saint-Denis Buyout

One of the last affordable districts near Paris.
Developers are snatching up properties, knowing that values will skyrocket post-Olympics.
Hundreds of families have already been displaced by so-called “urban improvement projects.”

💡 After the Games, these properties won’t become homes — they’ll become luxury condos for investors.
And when people complain about the cost of living? The media will blame… Hidalgo.

4. The Media’s Role in This Grand Deception

If you’ve never heard any of this before, it’s because the people who own the media are the same people benefiting from real estate speculation.

Who Controls the Narrative?

Vincent Bolloré (CNews, Europe 1, Paris Match) → Owns luxury real estate and funds anti-Hidalgo propaganda.
Bernard Arnault (LVMH, Les Echos, Le Parisien) → France’s richest man, profits from gentrification and speculation.
Patrick Drahi (BFM TV, Libération, L’Express) → Billionaire with financial stakes in real estate markets.

💡 These billionaires own the platforms shaping public perception. Of course, they don’t want you talking about Blackstone, Airbnb, or real estate speculation.

So instead, they flood the news with:
❌ “Hidalgo’s bike lanes are destroying Paris!”
❌ “Paris is dirtier than ever because of city policies!”
❌ “Public transit expansions are ruining the city!”

Meanwhile, the real criminals loot the city while you’re busy arguing about cycling lanes.

CONCLUSION: WAKE UP — PARIS IS BEING STOLEN

The city isn’t falling apart because of “bad governance.”
It’s being deliberately hollowed out by corporate interests, billionaire landlords, and financial firms who have rigged the game.

By who?
✅ Blackstone and global investment firms buying entire districts.
✅ Airbnb and short-term rental investors wiping out housing supply.
✅ Developers using the Olympics to push out locals.
✅ Billionaire media outlets hiding the truth.
✅ Macron’s government siding with speculators over tenants.

💡 If you still think Hidalgo is the problem, congratulations: You fell for one of the greatest propaganda campaigns of our time.

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