Former actress-host Sharon Au has spoken out about the recent civil unrest in France, reassuring loved ones of her safety while reflecting on the protests and violence in an Oct 19 Facebook post.
The Singaporean personality, who moved to Paris in 2018, explained that her statement was penned in response to numerous queries from those concerned about her.
“For the past three days, I have found it difficult to resist the temptation to comment on the events of Oct 17 in France,” the 51-year-old wrote.
She is thankful for the concern, adding: “My phone has been flooded with messages from concerned family and friends checking on my safety. Thank you. I am safe, and fortunately away from the areas affected by the unrest.”
Demonstrations across France initially erupted in September over public school staff shortages before expanding into nationwide protests against cost-of-living pressures and budget cuts, resulting in violent clashes, ransacked businesses and curfews.
Addressing the unrest, Au acknowledged her perspective as a non-native.
“I am not a political commentator. Nor do I pretend to understand the full complexity of the grievances that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets,” she wrote.
“I did not grow up in France. I have never been through its public school system. I have not lived the frustrations of French students, teachers or families who feel let down by their institutions.”
She cautions against jumping to conclusions based on “horrifying images” and “conflicting accounts and narratives”.
“Images may capture a moment. They rarely capture the whole truth,” she wrote. “I reminded myself not to mistake the depth of my emotions for the strength of my understanding.”
While she respects France’s “proud tradition of dissent”, she criticised the violence, saying that she struggles to “reconcile the pursuit of a better society with the destruction of the very society one seeks to improve”.
She urged distinguishing “between those who march peacefully for legitimate grievances and those who exploit public anger to commit violence”, adding that “understanding anger does not oblige us to justify violence”.
Reflecting on her roots, she wrote: “As a Singaporean, I come from a society with a very different relationship with public order, collective action and the responsibilities of citizenship.”
She added that living in the French capital has challenged many of her assumptions.
“I did not move halfway across the world simply to have my existing beliefs reaffirmed,” she wrote, noting that “freedom must also come with responsibility towards those with whom we share that freedom”.
She concluded her post by affirming her resolve to stay in France. “Paris is still home. Even on days when I struggle to recognise her.”
After migrating to Paris, Au worked as an investment director in a private equity firm before quitting the job in 2022.
In 2025, she returned to acting in Cendol, a short film helmed by actor-turned-director Qi Yuwu, playing an interior designer who returns to Singapore to visit her mother.
In September, after making an Instagram post on a photo shoot with South Korean fashion brand L’H.A.S., Au revealed she has plans to spend more time in Seoul. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
