MCDONALD’s workers in France have occupied a restaurant and are using it as a base to distribute food to those struggling in the coronavirus pandemic.

Marseille locals are being supported by a range of groups including the Syndicat des Quartiers Populaires de Marseille (Union of the Popular Quarters of Marseille), which took over the McDonald’s in Saint-Barthelemy, in the north of the city, earlier this month.

Shopkeepers, residents and the foodbank procure food, which is stored in the restaurant’s fridges. It is then distributed in boxes to the neighbourhood, which has an unemployment rate of 25 per cent compared with the national average of 8.5 per cent.