France’s president Emmanuel Macron is facing a backlash after being photographed meeting Elton John at a Paris gig, despite his country being in the grip of riots.
Violent protests are spreading throughout France after a 17-year-old was shot by a police officer during a traffic stop in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday.
In the aftermath, people took to the streets of Nanterre to protest, setting cars alight and throwing stones and fireworks at police – who responded with tear gas.
Mr Macron has come under fire and is being urged to bring the crisis under control, after going to the concert on Wednesday, the day after the shooting.
Photographs were posted by Elton John’s husband David Furnish on Instagram, as the star begins the final leg of his mammoth farewell tour in Europe.
A video posted on social media also shows Mr Macron tapping his feet at the gig in Paris’s Accor Arena while the singer performs Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.
Mr Macron has often been accused by political opponents of being aloof and out of touch with the French public.
“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.
Mr Macron said on Friday morning that he will be holding a second emergency meeting to discuss the riots.
At least 667 people were arrested across France overnight following a third day of protests over the death of the youth – named in local reports as Nahel M.
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On Thursday, 40,000 police officers were deployed across the country – nearly four times the number mobilised on Wednesday.
However, there were few signs that appeals from the government to de-escalate the situation are having any effect.
In Nanterre, where the shooting took place, protesters torched cars, barricaded streets and hurled projectiles at police following a vigil.
National police said on Thursday night that officers also faced new incidents in other areas of the country – in Marseille, Lyon, Pau, Toulouse and Lille, including fires and fireworks.