Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and his wife, Megan, travelled to Paris for a weekend getaway that coincided with widespread riots and looting in the French capital.
Megan documented their trip in a TikTok video titled “24 hours in Paris with a twist”, sharing footage of the couple travelling by private jet and visiting several locations around the city before attending a concert by Canadian singer Celine Dion.
The opening caption read: “Come to Paris with me and my husband. Completely unaware the capital was in ruins.”
Despite the unrest, the couple appeared to enjoy their time together, with Megan sharing clips from their visits to famous venues and describing her love for the city.
Driver Advises Couple to Return Directly to Hotel
Megan shared footage from Dion’s performance, explaining that the singer’s performance left her in “tears” because of how impressive it was.
However, the couple’s plans were affected after the concert ended on Saturday night.
Megan said their driver advised them to return directly to their hotel rather than continue exploring the city.
“Then when our driver picked us up he advised us to go straight to the hotel,” she said in the video.
The couple subsequently spent time in the hotel lobby, where a harpist was playing. The following morning, they made a brief visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral before travelling by taxi, apparently on their way back to the airport.
Megan ended her account by expressing concern for those affected by the unrest, writing: “Thinking of all those affected.”
The trip appears to have taken place after Everton’s match against Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime, with the couple returning to the UK on Sunday.
Rioting and Looting Reported Across French Capital
The couple’s visit coincided with a weekend of violence that followed an initially peaceful protest on Saturday against rising living costs and poor public services.
Reports indicated that approximately 1,500 shops and businesses were looted or destroyed as riot police were deployed to confront crowds. Officers used tear gas and water cannons during the unrest.
Officials also claimed that around 1,000 police officers were injured on Saturday alone.
The violence prompted a major response from French authorities as disturbances and looting were reported in several locations.
French Interior Minister Says Police Lost Control in Some Cities
France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, acknowledged that police had “lost control” in some cities amid the unrest.
The disturbances continued despite President Emmanuel Macron’s appeals for calm. Rioting and looting were also reported to have spread to Milan.
Following emergency talks with senior ministers, Macron addressed the nation and called for unity, pledging that those responsible for the violence would be brought to justice.
The president also promised that authorities would draw “all the necessary lessons” from what he described as intelligence failures that preceded the unrest.
Almost 2,400 arrests were reported over the weekend.
Minister Describes Violence as a Form of Insurrection
French Minister for Urban Affairs Vincent Jeanbrun described the violence as “a form of insurrection”, raising concerns about the organisation and training of some participants.
“You have young people and older people who are perfectly trained in this kind of violence, this kind of urban guerrilla warfare, and this isn’t taught in school. So where is it learned?” Jeanbrun said.
He suggested that criminal networks in some neighbourhoods could be involved in teaching young people to attack police officers.
“It’s a minority,” he added, saying investigations would establish where those involved in the violence came from.
