Couple Goes Viral as They’re Seen Sipping Drinks and Smoking Amid France Riots

Move over, rover — there’s a new “This is fine” meme in town.

A French couple is captivating the internet as a video showing them relaxing with a drink and a smoke as rioting erupts in the streets of Paris has gone viral.

The video, shot by Reuters over the weekend, shows the couple calmly enjoying the night at an outdoor cafe near the Arc di Triomphe, with at least two giant fires burning in the background.

The video was reminiscent of the “This is fine” dog meme, which shows the smiling orange pup with his coffee mug while surrounded by flames.

The video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times by Monday afternoon, getting the attention of such figures as U.K. media personality Piers Morgan, who posted on X, “This is why I love the French. Nothing stops them having a drink, a smoke, and a gossip.”

Thousands have been arrested nationwide as rioters have looted and destroyed local businesses in the chaos that began as protests against the rising cost of living in France.

In an address to the French people on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron said “nothing justifies” the “unbridled” violence in Paris and elsewhere in the country.

“Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” Macron said. He said some of the protesters have “legitimate demands,” but they are not the same as those who have “destroyed, smashed, and looted.”

He added, “Those who looted will have to pay back for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable.”

Watch above via CNN.

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