A gaming shop worker who attempted to defend his store from violent protestors in France has received an incredible show of support after members of the gaming community raised more than $23,000 to help him and the business recover from the ordeal.

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The man, identified as Pierre, went viral on social media after he was filmed trying to protect a Micromania store in Nice as unrest unfolded outside the business.

Despite his efforts to stop people entering the premises, he was reportedly harassed and eventually kicked to the ground while attempting to chase looters away.

Footage of the confrontation subsequently attracted attention online, prompting supporters to rally around the worker and launch a fundraising campaign.

And the response has been remarkable.

The incident occurred during demonstrations in Nice, where Pierre, who uses the Instagram handle @stonebrushstudio, was attempting to prevent people from entering the gaming retailer.

As tensions escalated, he positioned himself near the entrance and tried to chase away those involved in the disorder away from the shop.

However, the situation took a violent turn when Pierre was reportedly kicked to the ground after turning his back on the individuals he had been confronting.

Although he attempted to protect the premises, the store still suffered considerable damage.

Images taken inside the business showed broken shelving and gaming merchandise scattered across the floor, with products and other items left among the debris.

The destruction left the shop facing the task of recovering from the damage caused during the unrest.

But when members of the gaming community learned what had happened, they decided to do something about it.

A group called Double Pixels launched an online fundraiser on October 18 to support the affected Micromania branch and the people working there.

The campaign, titled ‘Gaming solidarity: let’s help Micromania manager Jean Médecin in Nice’, aimed to provide financial assistance following the incident.

In its fundraising appeal, the group explained that the gaming community wanted to support the people who dedicate their working lives to helping customers enjoy their favourite hobby.

The organisers wrote: “The gaming community is mobilizing!”

They went on to explain that the campaign had been established to help those affected by the damage and violence.

“Behind every store, there are passionate people who dedicate themselves daily to welcoming us, advising us and sharing with us their love of video games,” they wrote.

The group encouraged people to contribute whatever they could, emphasising that even sharing the campaign would help raise awareness.

The response quickly demonstrated just how strongly the incident had resonated with fellow gaming enthusiasts.

According to the fundraising page, the campaign collected €20,832, equivalent to more than $23,000.

The total was supported by 1,031 contributors, highlighting the willingness of the community to come together after seeing what had happened.

The fundraiser also attracted hundreds of messages and reactions from people showing their support.

For Pierre, the response was particularly meaningful.

After the footage circulated online, he received dozens of supportive messages from people praising his actions.

However, rather than focusing entirely on the confrontation, Pierre was keen to remind people that the behaviour he experienced did not represent everyone involved in the demonstrations.

Speaking about the messages he had received, he said: “It’s very kind of them to offer their support — to me, to all the shopkeepers, and to everyone else,”

He continued: “We shouldn’t forget that this kind of behavior is the exception, not the rule. Throughout the rest of the march, things went quite well. There are a few ‘bad apples,’ but they don’t represent the majority.”

His comments offered an important distinction between those responsible for the damage and the wider group of people participating in the protests.

Pierre also acknowledged that the demonstrations reflected genuine difficulties facing working people around the world – with protestors taking to the streets of Paris and Nice, and other major European cities to protest the cost of living crisis, and other issues such as climate change, social inequality, housing prices and AI potentially threatening the job market.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the fundraiser confirmed that they had been in contact with him and that he was aware of the campaign. In an update published on October 19, Double Pixels revealed that Pierre had agreed to the fundraising initiative.

The group wrote: “We met with Pierre; he’s aware of the fundraiser and he’s on board! Your support is tremendous. By mutual agreement, the fundraiser will end on October 20, 2026, but will remain open for a few more days for those who still wish to contribute. We plan to get together at the end of the fundraiser.”

The group summed up that sentiment in its appeal, explaining: “Because video games are not just a passion, they are also a community that knows how to pull together when one of its own needs it.”

And with more than €20,000 raised, that message has been backed up by the generosity of hundreds of supporters.

While the money cannot undo the damage to the shop or what Pierre experienced during the confrontation, it provides a significant show of solidarity as those affected work to move forward.

Featured image credit: X