A Guinean couple were detained for nearly 20 hours earlier this week in the northern French city of Douai after a supermarket called the police when they attempted to pay their bill with a €500 note.
While shopping at the French supermarket chain E. Leclerc, the couple handed a €500 note to the cashier to pay for their €210 grocery bill.
The cashier was immediately suspicious and alerted her superiors, who called the authorities.
“We have counterfeit detectors, but they’re not 100 percent reliable. There were some major doubts about this bill. We decided to call the police,” the store’s management explained to French regional daily La Voix du Nord (Voice of the North).
The Guinean couple were promptly arrested and held for an astonishing 20 hours in police custody. The police launched an exhaustive investigation – including seeking the expert opinion of a bank – before finally concluding that the note was real.
The couple were released on Tuesday morning.
‘Humiliated’
A non-profit cultural organisation based in Douai, CEDYFART-Africa International, has described the supermarket’s actions as discriminatory.
“The couple were humiliated,” said Aggeex Hutin, president of the non-profit, in an interview with France Info radio.
Hutin said the store’s actions indicated an “unacceptable” assumption about Africans.
“We also feel insulted, because this assumes that any African who goes to a store with a €500 bill is suspected of using counterfeit money … This was an unacceptable abuse.”
The supermarket has denied that its actions were discriminatory.
“Of course we were suspicious. A €500 note is very rare,” the store’s manager said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the store said the couple were “still welcome” to shop at its Douai store.
“E. Leclerc in Douai – which, based on its hiring practices and involvement with local organisations, cannot be accused of discriminatory behaviour – wishes to tell the couple who were the victims of this situation that they are obviously still welcome at our store,” the statement said.