Montreal self-serve bakery vandalized again, anti-tech message left

Montreal's Mamie Clafoutis bakery chain has once again been targeted, with its Saint-Denis Street location suffering smashed front windows overnight Wednesday. This marks the second such incident in less than three months for the self-service bakery, which has become a focal point for anti-technology and anti-capitalist sentiment.

Nicolas Delourmel, co-founder of the bakery chain, described the scene after being called by police in the early morning hours. Security footage shows an object striking the glass until it shatters, followed by a person fleeing the scene. "It was really just to hurt, to break, someone who isn’t happy with the system," Delourmel stated, expressing concern about the escalating nature of such protests. "But if we start to break stores every time we don’t agree … I don’t know where we’re going anymore, but we’re not going down the right path."

The previous incident occurred on May 1, when masked individuals entered the store during business hours, took bread, and spray-painted anti-capitalist graffiti. An anonymous group later claimed responsibility, protesting the alleged use of facial recognition technology in Mamie Clafoutis’ self-serve locations, a claim the owners deny. The shift to self-service, which allows for 24-hour operation, was partly motivated by post-pandemic labor shortages, according to Delourmel.

This vandalism at Mamie Clafoutis is part of a broader trend of targeting food businesses in Montreal. Earlier this year, the activist group Robin des Ruelles claimed responsibility for thefts at other grocery stores, citing rising food prices and corporate profits as their motivation. While police investigated those incidents, no arrests were announced.

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It was really just to hurt, to break, someone who isn’t happy with the system. But if we start to break stores every time we don’t agree … I don’t know where we’re going anymore, but we’re not going down the right path.