For France’s lockdown rebels, defiance is a dish best served to many

While the Dutch riot and Germans sue, one restaurateur has objected to his country’s coronavirus laws with a particularly civil form of disobedience: cooking lunch for 50
Christophe Wilson serving lunch in defiance of the law
Christophe Wilson serving lunch in defiance of the law
BACKGRID

Mask tucked under his chin, France’s lockdown rebel seems a touch overwhelmed by all the attention.

Since defying the law and serving lunch to more than 50 diners at his Nice restaurant last week, Christophe Wilson has been inundated with messages on social media from supporters hailing him as a hero.

On the downside, however, he had to spend a night in the cells after police found irregularities with the papers of Moussa, the chef from the Ivory Coast who cooked the lockdown-busting déjeuner.

As I enter the scene of the crime — the terrace of Poppies restaurant brasserie, now deserted — I find Wilson, 50, behind the bar, serving only takeaways. Still waiting to learn his punishment, he seems unwilling — for the moment