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Justin Trudeau dances at Taylor Swift concert as rioters storm streets of Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked widespread outrage when he was spotted on video dancing at a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto as destructive riots were breaking out in Montreal.
Video posted on X shows the left-wing Canadian PM cutting a rug and singing along to Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” before the show began Friday night.
Trudeau represents a district in Montreal — Canada’s second-largest city — which is about 330 miles east of Toronto.
Montreal has been engulfed in anti-NATO protests for much of the weekend, where demonstrators ignited smoke bombs and weaved through streets of the city waving Palestinian flags.
Cars were set on fire and numerous scuffles broke out with police, including some incidents in which protesters tossed metal items and even small explosive devices at cops, according to the Montreal Gazette.
The fiery demonstrations in Trudeau’s hometown as he danced the night away at a concert rubbed social media users the wrong way, some even comparing him to Nero, who “fiddled while Rome burned,” according to legend.
Don Stewart, a Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) whose district includes part of Toronto, excoriated Trudeau on X.
“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.
“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.
Trudeau finally got around to condemning the violent riots a night after attending the concert.
“What we saw on the streets of Montreal last night was appalling,” the Canadian leader said. “Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them.
“The RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] are in communication with local police. There must be consequences, and rioters held accountable.”