Australia: The French are Thieves!
Did you know that abroad, the French have a bad reputation?
Before leaving for Australia, I knew the French had a bad reputation, but I didn't expect to see it firsthand... Today I want to talk to you about the >, a term that refers to shoplifting in stores, street stalls, or any other thefts committed by the French.
French Thieves in Australia
This article will undoubtedly be shocking, but we need to acknowledge the reality on the ground: the French are viewed very negatively by Australians. After a year on the other side of the world, I find this justified.
Many young French people attempt the Working Holiday Visa adventure in Australia each year. There were more than 28,000 in 2014. With this visa, you can go to Australia for one year. This holiday-work visa allows you to work, but also to enjoy the wonders of Australia during your year.
You will wake up every morning in a magical place, near a paradise beach and live as a nomad.
What more could you ask for?
- The butter, the money for the butter, and the dairymaid Unfortunately, some take advantage of this year of pleasure and turn it into a year of debauchery. When you give them a hand, some will cut off your arm! The French are well-known for exploiting any loophole in the system. First, some context: it's important to know that the cost of living in Australia is relatively high. Food, housing, and leisure activities are much more expensive than in France. It's best to prepare your year in advance and come to the country with some money.
That's often when misadventures begin. Theoretically, in order to obtain the precious sesame and be able to leave for Australia, you must possess €3000 before embarking on your journey to the other side of the world.
Every person wishing to spend a year in Australia must have €3000 in their bank account, a sum necessary for initial expenses on site. It is clear that this seems necessary: how can you travel or settle down without money at first?
Unfortunately, the Australian government does not check or does so very infrequently that you actually have this amount before your entry into Australia.
As a result? Many young people arrive in Australia with no money in their pockets. Worse, they spend the little money they have in a few weeks upon arrival. Expenses that they deem necessary... Nightclubs, bars, big meals... Partying in a new country is essential for them.
Their precious savings melt away like snow in the sun, and they find themselves in a very delicate situation since most have not yet found work. Without money and often on someone's recommendation >, the trap closes.
- Barely arrived and already problems... It's important to know that Australians are very friendly by nature. There are few thefts committed by Australians, there are no security guards in stores, and very few surveillance cameras. The opposite of France, you might say. Australia is a country where honesty and respect for values are of utmost importance. Most people who choose to go on a WHV are young and inexperienced. That's not a problem. But they often think they will arrive in Australia, find work quickly, and live like kings. However, it's not that easy to find a job! These young people then find themselves in difficult situations, and everything becomes an excuse for theft and scams. These young individuals generally start stealing a bit of food from stores to eat! Then the vicious circle expands; they start stealing quality food: salmon, caviar, shrimp, lobsters, beef fillets, and much more. They feel free to steal because they are not at home. They live it up and commit more and more thefts. Blandine and I were appalled to see all this. Everywhere we went, all around Australia, we encountered French backpackers engaged in >. When it was sometimes about food to eat, we might have overlooked their actions, but when we saw with our own eyes some backpackers stealing cheeses worth over $100 per kilo, salmon, and beef fillet EVERY DAY. That's a real problem. Without a fridge to store food, it makes sense for these individuals to throw away everything that isn't eaten in a day; they will steal the same thing the next day anyway. In Australia, some of the most commonly stolen items include cigarettes, hygiene products, and meat. But that's not all, hang on Theft doesn't just stop at food...
The << French shopping >> trend?
The story could have stopped there, a bit of food stolen, a few cigarettes, but that's not the case!
The French shopping phenomenon has gained so much traction in Australia that in 2013, the French consul general in Sydney asked fellow French nationals to keep an eye on their young nomadic counterparts in an open letter.
- Witnesses to thefts While the story reports food thefts throughout Australia, primarily on the east coast, which is popular among young people, we have witnessed other surprising stories. We met very nice French people during our stay in Australia, but after a few weeks, they showed us their true nature. We could then see a part of their loot: phones, cameras, bikes, headphones, computer equipment, and much more. We saw with our own eyes phone thefts in shops, food thefts, but also hygiene products. Repeated operations multiple times a week in different stores.
Then it was the same story every day. I would go to work during the day, and in the evening, these French individuals would showcase their day's haul. Often several hundred dollars, and this daily.
Stealing from stores, why stop there? Some backpackers only go out at night in bars to retrieve the cell phones of inebriated people. A night job that pays pretty well!
Some commit thefts directly in hostels; you think your roommate is nice, and the next day he disappears with your camera and your tablet
These stories are hard to believe, but they are the strict reality.
Only the French?
Is it only the French committing these thefts? We could have said yes at the beginning of our stay, but the longer we spent in Australia, the more we heard stories about Germans, Belgians, and many others.
For the record, we bought a 4x4 upon our arrival from some Belgians. They then directly spoke to us about the behavior of the French in Australia.
A few months later, lost in the middle of nowhere, we stopped to fill up on gas. The gas station attendant came out to talk to us and asked when we bought the 4x4. Surprised, he explained that the same 4x4, 5 months prior, had filled up at various stations in the region and the occupants had always left without paying...
Belgians, French, or others, it's time to wake up. Australia is a beautiful country and it's an incredible travel experience, so we must protect all of that. Don't you think?
Traveling in Australia: a chance to preserve