MALAYSIAN actor and comedian Datuk Afdlin Shauki Aksan and his family spent five hours stranded near the Louvre in Paris after being caught up in unrest during their holiday in France.
In a Facebook post, Afdlin said he had travelled to France with his wife and three-year-old daughter, Inaya, to attend MIPCOM in Cannes before spending some time with his family in Paris.
The ordeal began when they encountered a demonstration while walking near the Louvre. Afdlin said many of the protesters were young people, although he noted that not everyone was there to cause trouble.
As people began fleeing, the family found themselves outside a Goyard boutique. Seeing them with their young daughter, the staff ushered them inside and locked the doors.
Afdlin said they later left the boutique and tried to find a safe route out of the area but remained stranded for about five hours before taking shelter in a restaurant connected to a nearby hotel.
He said he could not remember the restaurant’s name but would not forget the elderly couple who looked after them, as well as other people who showed concern for his daughter.
The situation became more frightening when tear gas entered the restaurant as people fled outside.
“Inaya started to panic and struggled to breathe. My wife was hit by pepper spray in her eyes, while I felt some tightness in my chest,” he wrote.
Afdlin said watching his daughter struggle to breathe was particularly distressing, adding that their immediate concern was getting her to safety.
Despite the experience, he cautioned against judging France as a whole based on what happened in one part of Paris.
He said he had heard reports of incidents elsewhere, including in Nice over the weekend, but could only speak about what his family had experienced firsthand.
He urged Malaysians travelling abroad to prioritise their safety, seek shelter when necessary, follow instructions from the authorities and check official updates before continuing their journeys.
“Do not wait around to record what is happening or see what comes next,” he said, adding that no tourist attraction was worth risking a family’s safety.
Afdlin said he would remember those who helped his family, particularly the Goyard staff who opened their doors and the people at the restaurant who looked after them.
“In a moment when things were most frightening, they chose to help. That day, for me, the face of Paris was also the face of these people,” he wrote. – October 21, 2026