Video of drinkers carrying on as normal amid protest blaze goes viral

A video showing two people sitting on a square in Bordeaux as a fire blazes just metres away in the background has gone viral.

It happened during protests against the French government’s pension reforms last Thursday (March 23).

The Pub Saint Aubin told TF1 that the video was filmed from its terrace by one of its customers.

It shows a man and a woman sitting on an outside terrace, with a glass of wine on the table. In the clip, they appear deep in conversation and barely look up at the blaze just metres away.

The clip, which was published on March 25, quickly racked up more than 300,000 views on Twitter.

French-Algerian comedian Mohamed Nouar, who has 337,000 followers on Instagram shared the video with the caption “Welcome to France!” (Bienvenue en France!).

The French government’s pension reforms - which include raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 - have sparked unrest across France, with strikes and demonstrations causing disruption. More protests are planned for Tuesday (March 28).

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