A video of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attending a Taylor Swift concert amid the ongoing violence in Montreal has drawn massive outrage on social media. Trudeau, who represents the Papineau district in Montreal, reportedly attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in Toronto with his family on Friday.

A viral video posted on X (formerly Twitter) shows the politician dancing and singing in the audience. In another video, he can be seen distributing friendship bracelets among the people.

However, this did not sit well with the internet users as the timing of him attending the concert coincided with the Montreal violence. 

“Trudeau at a Taylor Swift concert while Montreal burns,” one user wrote. 

Trudeau at a Taylor Swift concert while Montreal burns.pic.twitter.com/biFD1CEva0

— Defiant World (@DefiantWorld) November 23, 2024

Another said, “Justin Trudeau exchanging friendship bracelets at the Taylor Swift concert last night – AFTER we all learned Montreal was burning to the ground.”

Justin Trudeau exchanging friendship bracelets at the Taylor Swift concert last night — AFTER we all learned Montreal was burning to the ground. pic.twitter.com/vSMXSgFKs4

— dahlia kurtz ︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) November 23, 2024

Some people also drew parallels between Trudeau and Roman Emperor Nero – who was known for his cruelty and debauchery. 

“According to ancient tradition, the degenerate Emperor Nero got on stage and recited poetry while Rome burned. Here’s Trudeau dancing at tonight’s Taylor Swift concert after doubling the debt to $1.2 trillion and creating a housing crisis by opening Canada’s borders,” a user said.

However, the internet also seemed to be divided as some people came in support of Trudeau.

“Ya know, all it looks like, is that he’s being a goofy Dad with his daughter, at a concert. Nothing nefarious going on here. And I don’t even like the guy, not one bit,” one user said.

Montreal’s streets were engulfed in violent chaos as anti-Israeli protests escalated on November 22 – at a time when the  North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was holding its parliamentary assembly in the Quebec metropolis. The protesters were denouncing the trans-Atlantic alliance.

The tensions escalated when the demonstrators burned an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the streets. The protestors, around 800 people, also set ablaze vehicles, smashed windows of nearby shops, and set off smoke bombs, reported news agency AFP. Following this, the police had to use chemical irritants and truncheons to disperse the crowd.

The Montreal police have reportedly arrested three people so far. 

On Saturday, Justin Trudeau condemned the violence in Montreal, saying that there “must be consequences and rioters should be held accountable”.

“What we saw on the streets of Montreal last night was appalling. Acts of antisemitism, intimidation, and violence must be condemned wherever we see them. The RCMP are in communication with local police. There must be consequences, and rioters held accountable,” he wrote in a post on X.

Berlin:

A 19-year-old has been detained in Austria for allegedly plotting to kill people outside a stadium at a Taylor Swift concert, prompting the cancellation of the pop superstar’s three shows in Vienna this week.

Two other teenagers have been identified as suspects.

Here is what security officials have said about the three.

THE 19-YEAR-OLD

The Austrian national with North Macedonian roots was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday during a police operation at his home in Ternitz, a town near the Hungarian border.

The teen, who had posted a video online confessing to the plot, quit his job on July 25, telling people that he “had big plans”, public security chief Franz Ruf told reporters on Thursday.

The suspect had recently changed his appearance and had been consuming and sharing Islamist propaganda online, security officials said, adding that he had pledged allegiance to Islamic State but also held sympathies for Al Qaeda.

A neighbour told Austrian broadcaster Puls24 that the young man kept himself to himself and that he had grown a “Taliban beard”.

During a search of his home, law enforcement authorities secured various substances and tools used for building bombs, as well as Islamic State propaganda, 21,000 euros ($23,000) in counterfeit money, machetes, knives and blank ammunition.

The Kurier newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that the suspect had stolen the chemicals from his former workplace, a metal processing company also in Ternitz. Officials did not comment on where he got the chemicals from, adding that this was a focus of their investigation.

THE 17-YEAR-OLD

After initially being tipped off to a single suspect, Austrian investigators came across the other two, including a 17-year-old Austrian national with Turkish-Croatian roots who was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday afternoon.

He had been acting conspicuously in the area of the Ernst Happel Stadium, where Swift’s stadium shows had been due to take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The 17-year-old had been given a job with a company a few days ago that was providing services at the stadium.

The boy, who also appears to have been radicalised and was already known to authorities, had recently broken up with his girlfriend, Ruf said.

He is still to make a statement to police so his exact role in the plot is unclear, but he had extensive contact with the main suspect, officials said.

THE 15-YEAR-OLD

The third and final suspect is an Austrian national with Turkish heritage.

During questioning, the youngster said the main suspect had changed considerably in recent months and had also regularly enquired about devices to ignite explosives, officials said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Vienna:

A 19-year-old Austrian terrorism suspect had taken concrete steps in planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert, with chemical substances found during a search of his residence, Austria’s general director for public security said.

The teenager, with North Macedonian roots, is considered the main suspect, working closely with a 17-year-old Austrian, general director for public security Frankz Ruf told ORF radio.

The two males are part of a small group police are looking into, said Ruf, adding that the 19-year-old had pledged allegiance to the radical Islamic State group.

“We are of course investigating their wider surroundings,” said Ruf, adding that the threat was minimized with the arrests.

Swift’s three concerts in Vienna, expected to draw 195,000 people, were cancelled late on Wednesday after the government flagged a planned attack. Police had detained three people suspected of plotting attacks on concerts.

Searches of the main suspect’s house in the town of Ternitz near the Hungarian border showed “concrete preparatory actions,” said Ruf, with chemical substances and technical devices seized.

The Kurier newspaper, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that the suspect had stolen the chemicals from his workplace and had built a bomb.

The newspaper reported that the 19-year-old had planned to drive a car into the crowd expected to gather outside the stadium, and had also considered using machetes and knives.

Austria’s interior ministry and intelligence service were not immediately available for comment on the report’s details.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)