Congolese Singer Fally Ipupa’s concert disrupted with fire

For being suspected to be too close to the Congolese government, popular Fally Ipupa suffered concert setback as protesters poured out at the Paris‘s Gare de Lyon station in Paris, France, to start a fire that caused havoc and disrupted the his concert.

Political opponents of the DR Congo government are said to have set fire to parked scooters, motorcycles and bins and blocked firefighters from tackling the blaze. They accuse singer Fally Ipupa of being too close to the Congolese government.

Police had earlier banned protests against the concert, citing a "tense political context".

A large plume of smoke was visible above the station and smoke was also seen inside the Gare de Lyon metro and suburban rail stations.

According to an eyewitness, Victoria Williams from the UK, "There was big thick smoke. People were surging and setting fire to things," she said. "It just seemed to get very ugly, very quickly. Traffic was gridlocked in every direction, it was pandemonium.

"The protesters were throwing anything they could at the police and fire brigade who were just trying to do their job. They were just setting fire to anything they could and fighting with each other."

Police described efforts to prevent firefighters from reaching the scene as "scandalous behaviour". Before the concert police had warned of significant calls on social media for protesters to "clash with concertgoers".

Source:  BBC