As France burns, prez Macron seen attending Elton John concert
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Paris: French president Emmanuel Macron has come under fire after a video of him enjoying an Elton John concert surfaced online even as violent protests continued in Paris for the third consecutive day.
On Thursday night, Paris witnessed some of the most destructive protests in over a decade. About hundreds have been arrested so far for protesting after the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old in the chest by the police.
While more than 100 people were arrested, fires raged on in the streets of France with the looting of high-end shopfronts along the Rue de Rivoli was going on, Macron and his wife Brigitte attended the British singer's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in Paris.
A picture and also a video of Macron tapping his foot while the singer performed Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting have gone viral online triggering concerns.
"As protesters burn French cities, Macron lights up at Elton John concert in Paris. The President of France in these shots is in a great mood, he enjoys music with his wife and dances a little," a Twitter user wrote sharing the short clip.
Elton John and his husband David Furnish also posted a photo on Instagram showing them meeting with Macron and his wife. "Backstage in Paris," Furnish captioned the post.
."While France was on fire, Macron was not at the side of his minister of the interior or the police, but he preferred to applaud Elton John," said Thierry Mariani, an MEP for National Rally, said a Times of India report.
"Wrong timing," one Instagram user wrote beneath Furnish's post, while another remarked, "Macron is below everything".
"At the same time a child was killed by police under his government, he's enjoying a show. Disgrace on Macron", said another user.
Macron has blamed social media for fueling violence and said that it had played a "significant role in the events of the past few days", reports SkyNews.
Macron said he would try to get "the most sensitive types of content" removed, as well as ask the sites to reveal the identities of people who are promoting violence.
Around 667 people were arrested across France overnight following a third day of protests over the death of the teenager. Nearly 40,000 police officers have also been deployed across the nation.