Afdlin Shauki recounts five-hour ordeal trapped in Paris riots

KUALA LUMPUR: Actor and comedian Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan was trapped in Paris for five hours amid riots, with his wife and three-year-old daughter.

In a Facebook post, Afdlin said he had travelled to France with his family to attend the International Market of Communications Programmes (Mipcom) in Cannes before spending time in Paris.

Their outing near the Louvre took a frightening turn when they encountered a demonstration.

"We came across a demonstration. Many of the participants were young people. To be fair, many of them were very polite and kind. Not everyone there was looking to cause trouble.

"When people began running in all directions, we were in front of a store. The staff saw us with Inaya, who is only three years old.

"They immediately let us in and locked the door," he said.

Afdlin said the family later left the store when the situation appeared to calm down, but could not find a way out of the area.

"Eventually, we took shelter in a restaurant connected to a nearby hotel."

He said he could not remember the restaurant's name but would always remember the elderly couple who ran it and the other patrons who looked out for his daughter.

Afdlin said the situation worsened when he saw rioters fleeing outside and tear gas seeped into the restaurant.

"My little girl began to panic and struggled to breathe. My wife was hit in the eyes by pepper spray, while I felt some tightness in my chest.

"As a father, seeing your own child frightened and struggling to breathe is incredibly difficult. At that moment, all we wanted was to make sure she was safe," he said.

Despite the ordeal, Afdlin cautioned against judging the whole of France based on incidents in one area.

"I heard reports of incidents elsewhere, including in Nice over the weekend, but I can only speak as a witness to what we experienced ourselves in Paris," he said.

He also urged Malaysians travelling abroad to prioritise their safety.

"Do not wait around to film or see what happens. Find shelter, follow the authorities' instructions and check official information before continuing your journey.

"No tourist attraction is more important than your family's safety. This experience left us frightened, but also deeply grateful," he said.