'This is fine': Unbelievable restaurant scene goes viral as Paris burns
The video emulated a recognisable meme often shared online of remaining calm amid chaos.
French restaurant diners appear to be the epitome of the 'keep calm and carry on' mentality, with a widely circulated video suggesting they are not put off by ongoing fiery protests in the streets of Paris.
More than 100 people were arrested in the latest protests in Paris which saw fires lit in the street in response to the French government's proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. President Emmanuel Macron's government has this week narrowly survived a no-confidence motion over his controversial pension reforms.
A viral video shared on Twitter by American journalist Ian Bremmer purports to show a Paris restaurant full of diners calmly carrying on while fires burn in the streets outside. The authenticity of the vision has been debated by many, but the message is clear.
"France becomes the epitome of the ‘this is fine’ meme," he captioned the post, referring to a popular online meme depicting a cartoon dog saying "this is fine" as he idly sits in a burning room with a cup of coffee. Many people have re-shared the tweet believing it perfectly depicts the current situation in France.
French president stands firm on unpopular bill
French President Emmanuel Macron is looking to regain the initiative with new reforms in the coming weeks. As unions prepared another day of strikes and demonstrations protesters waving flags and chanting gathered in central Paris on Tuesday evening, marking the sixth straight day of protests since the passing of the new pension bill.
Rubbish bins were set ablaze on Tuesday night in the Place de la Republique in central Paris, and protesters set off fireworks. Fire engines arrived to put out the fires and the police charged to disperse demonstrators.
Some in Macron's own camp have warned him against continuing business as usual amid violent protests and rolling strikes that represent the most serious challenge to the centrist president's authority since the "Yellow Vest" revolt four years ago.
"We are all weakened. The president, the government and the majority," a senior MP in Macron's camp, Gilles Le Gendre, told Liberation newspaper. "It's not because the law was adopted that we can do business as usual."
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with Reuters
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