This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
On a sweltering summer evening in Paris, around 30 activists gathered in front of the iconic Louvre Museum, waving red banners that read 'Shame on Sackler' and 'Take down the Sackler.'
The protest, led by American group PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) and French charity AIDES, aimed to draw attention to the museum's Sackler Wing of Oriental Antiquities, which was named after the Sackler family's $3.6 million donation over two decades ago.
The Sackler family's ties to the opioid crisis have been under scrutiny in recent years, with numerous lawsuits filed against their company, Purdue Pharma, over its role in the US opioid crisis. In 2017, a staggering 47,000 people died in the United States as a result of overdosing on opioids, including prescription drugs, heroin, and fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Protesters also highlighted the global reach of the opioid crisis, citing a warning from around 100 French doctors last month about the risk of a health crisis in France. The doctors estimated that 12 million people in France were taking opioids without being informed about the potential for addiction and risk of overdose.
"The crisis is about to hit France," said American photographer Nancy Goldin, a former opioid addict, who joined the protest. "Purdue Pharma is going bankrupt, so they've expanded to a company called Mundipharma, which is moving all over the world with the same deceptive marketing techniques and is pushing doctors to prescribe, just as they did in America."
Goldin called on the Louvre to take down the Sackler family's name, saying they were using museums to "whitewash their reputation." A Louvre spokesperson acknowledged the protest, but no further action was announced.
