Couple sips coffee beside burning bin during Paris protests

A man and a woman sit at a table on a café terrace near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, drinking and chatting calmly. A burning rubbish bin blazes in the background. The footage was shot by Reuters on Saturday, October 17, during mass anti-government demonstrations.

The protests were started by students unhappy about a shortage of teachers and the poor state of schools. They gradually grew into a nationwide action against the high cost of living, social inequality and underfunded public services. Trade unions and supporters of the “yellow vests” movement joined the students. Some of the demonstrations turned into violent riots.

Scenes like this are not rare in France. In March 2023, a video from Bordeaux went around social media: a couple on the terrace of the Pub Saint Aubin were calmly enjoying a glass of wine. Just a few metres away, rubbish bins set on fire during protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform were burning.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz