In a now-deleted tweet, Sweden’s Ambassador to France Veronika Wand-Danielsson wrote that yellow vest protesters had lit a fire outside the embassies of Sweden and Tunisia in Paris.
“And where are the police? Thanks to friendly neighbours we were able to extinguish the fires”, she tweeted on 5 January, attaching photos to the post.
Some netizens managed to take a screenshot of the tweet before the ambassador removed it following a backlash online, and bombarded her with sarcastic comments:
TWEET: “Will the demonstration turn into a diplomatic incident? The ambassador of Sweden accuses yellow vests of having lit a fire in front of the diplomatic premises (as well as that of Tunisia) and calls for police action… on Twitter. Unbelievable. #ActeVIII”
La manif va-t-elle virer à l'incident diplomatique? L'ambassadrice de Suède accuse des #giletsjaunes d'avoir mis le feu devant les locaux de la mission diplomatique (ainsi que celle de Tunisie) et réclame des moyens policiers… sur Twitter. Incroyable. #ActeVIII pic.twitter.com/oj4IPFSJoh
— Nils Wilcke (@paul_denton) 5 January 2019
TWEET: “It's good to know how to put it out, now it will be necessary to be able to extinguish it. For information: it is not the police who extinguish the fire but the firefighters. For information: the police have not yet invented inspector gadget to be able to be everywhere at once. Kisses Sweden”.
C'est bien de savoir l'éteindre, maintenant il va falloir pouvoir l'éteindre.
— CEDRIC LABARBE (@CedVSR) 5 January 2019
Pour information: c'est pas la police qui éteint les feux mais les pompiers
Pour information: la polie n'a pas encore inventé inspecteur gadget pour pouvoir être partout à la fois.
Bisous la Suède.
Another user sarcastically addressed the ambassador’s role in handling the situation:
TWEET: “Thank you Madame Ambassador for coming out with a bucket of water to douse the burning box. A true Viking!”
Merci madame l ambassadeur d être descendu avec un sceau d’eau éteindre le carton en feu une vraie vicking:)
— Olivier Zappon (@oz_paris) 5 January 2019
A fellow Twitter user mockingly wrote in Swedish: “I hope you were quick to extinguish [it] as this little bonfire would have burned out in 10 minutes”.
Hoppas ni var snabba att släcka eftersom den där lilla brasan brunnit ut på 10 minuter… 😐
— Robert Fahlström🇸🇪🇫🇮 (@Fahlan70) 5 January 2019
Some social media users, however, penned that they were ashamed of the protesters’ behaviour:
TWEET: “I’m really ashamed of France now… A blaze in front of Sweden’s Embassy…”
J'ai vraiment trop honte de la France en ce moment….
— J U L I E 🇪🇺 (@JulieBattesti) 5 January 2019
Un incendie devant l'ambassade de Suède 🙄
One even offered his apologies to the ambassador:
TWEET: “As a French citizen, I modestly apologise, Madame Ambassador. These actions are unacceptable, do not represent the majority of French people and the respect they have for your country”.
En tant que citoyen français, je vous présente modestement mes excuses, Madame l'Ambassadeur. Ces actes sont inacceptables, ne représentent pas la majorité des français et le respect qu'ils ont pour votre pays.
— Mr Shelby (@MrShelby4) 5 January 2019
The demonstrations have been ongoing nationwide since mid-November, with French people initially protesting against a hike in diesel and gasoline taxes. Despite the fact that the French authorities scrapped their plans, the protests evolved into a broader movement against government policies and rising living costs.
READ MORE: 'Justice Will Prevail': Macron Denounces Violence at Yellow Vest Protests
Rallies have been marked by violent clashes between demonstrators and French police, who have been forced to use tear gas and batons to stop the crowd.
