Let them eat snark, apparently.
A left-wing French student has become a target of public criticism after mocking business owners whose stores were damaged or looted during the riots.
Lola-Fleur Whittaker, a political influencer and student at the prestigious Sciences Po Paris, appeared on television Monday to defend the rioters.
During an argument over responsibility for the weekend’s violence on La Grande Confrontation, she told business owners: “Your little shops, that’s real cute.”
Whittaker was challenged by Khemima Sheilha, the owner of a bakery chain whose businesses had been looted.
“It’s my life, Lola,” Sheilha said. “We’ve had to see our businesses smashed. What justifies terrorizing people’s lives?”
Whittaker then portrayed herself as coming from modest circumstances, saying her mother is a teacher who eats cookies for lunch because she cannot “pay for the cafeteria.”
Critics quickly pointed to her social media profile, arguing that it presented a more privileged lifestyle than her comments suggested.
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Her posts include photographs from trips to destinations including Sicily, Greece, Malaysia, Egypt and Oman.
Whittaker earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Manchester. She previously ran as a candidate for the far-left France Unbowed party in Paris and is also a prominent leftist influencer.
During Monday’s heated debate, she also appeared to draw a connection between the recent riots and attacks on Algerian immigrants by French police in October 1961, according to La Depeche.
Whittaker was not immediately available for comment.
About 2,500 people were arrested over the weekend as violent mobs looted luxury stores and set historical monuments on fire.
Curfews were imposed in several French cities on Monday “for as long as necessary” as authorities responded to the country’s worst riots in years, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced.
On Tuesday, Lecornu said the curfews had helped maintain order overnight.
France is also expected to deploy the military to support police ahead of further protests planned for this weekend. The demonstrations will coincide with an NFL game in Paris featuring the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
