The president and his wife were filmed at a Celine Dion show in a private box, hours before demonstrations against living costs turned violent across France.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have been compared to Marie Antoinette on social media after being filmed enjoying a Celine Dion concert near Paris. French newspaper Le Parisien reported that the couple attended on Friday 16 October at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, watching from a private hospitality box. Footage shows them clapping along and dancing. The next day, about 550,000 people marched against rising living costs, and protests in several cities turned violent.
The concert
Le Parisien said the couple arrived and left discreetly. It was Dion’s 15th show of her Paris residency, which began on 12 September and marks her return to live performance after six years away. It was the penultimate concert of her 2026 programme, with further dates planned for May 2027. Madame Figaro reported that Brigitte Macron could be seen singing and dancing to two of Dion’s songs, Pour que tu m’aimes encore and Dans un autre monde. Several concertgoers filmed the couple from nearby seats.
The Belgian singer Stromae was also at the show, seated several boxes from the Macrons, according to Le Parisien. The paper said he had considered a surprise appearance on stage for a duet he had recorded with Dion, but this did not happen.
The criticism
Social media users compared the couple to Marie Antoinette, the queen guillotined during the French Revolution. Mr Macron is 48 and Mrs Macron 73. The source article’s account of the mood at the time, including that France was enraged by living costs and a stalled administration, reflects its own view and not a finding.
On Saturday, Eliot Deval, a presenter on Europe 1, said he would have preferred to see the president supporting police officers dealing with the unrest than attending an entertainment event. No formal statement condemning the outing from a major French opposition leader could be verified.
The story has also been covered abroad. CNN Greece reported on the controversy, and Cypriot outlets described reactions to the president’s appearance during a period of mass demonstrations.
The protests
According to the source, about 550,000 people took to the streets, and by 6pm there had been more than 400 arrests, almost 200 of them in Paris. Barricades and public buildings were set alight, cars were overturned, and running battles broke out between police and protesters in cities across France.
- Lyon: Crowds set fire to the historic tourist office, which the city’s mayor called a “tragedy”. Hooded youths threw rocks and fireworks at police, who used tear gas, dispersal grenades and water cannon.
- Marseille: People broke into the town hall and vandalised a statue of Marianne, the personification of the French republic. A demonstrator shouted: “We’re taking the Bastille”, a reference to the storming of the Paris fortress in 1789.
- Paris: Protesters scuffled and blocked roads around Gare du Nord, the Eurostar terminus. Tear gas filled the Place de la Republique, where youths in black balaclavas threw fireworks and fought riot police.
Other cities also saw serious disorder. They included Limoges, where the historic town hall was attacked and set on fire, and Bordeaux, Angers, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.
Mr Macron condemned attacks on public buildings, businesses and police officers, and defended the right to peaceful protest. Interior minister Laurent Nunez reported about 400 arrests nationwide and distinguished between largely peaceful marches and violent groups involved in vandalism and looting. The concert visit on Friday does not show that Mr Macron was absent from official duties during Saturday’s unrest.
What is not known
It is not known whether the Macrons paid for their tickets or were invited, or how much the box cost. The Elysee Palace has not been reported as explaining the outing. It is unclear whether Mr Macron was briefed on the demonstrations at the concert, whether he changed any engagements because of them, or whether Dion acknowledged the couple.
