During the second concert of American star Taylor Swift which took place at the Défense Arena in Paris on Friday May 10, a baby aged a few months was installed on the floor of the Nanterre venue, surrounded by 42,000 people. On X (formerly Twitter), a person present at the concert published two photos in which we can see the child who appears to be asleep.
These photos, seen nearly 2 million times, aroused the ire of Internet users. On the post, we can read, in English, the mention “get your baby off the ground and go home.” In the comments, others let go. “If you can pay for tickets for the Eras Tour then you can pay for a babysitter, it’s so irresponsible” or “some people should not be allowed to have children.”
“The baby had children’s noise-cancelling headphones”
In an article published this Monday, May 13 by the Huffington Post, we can read the testimony of a fan also present at the concert and who contests the poor treatment given to the toddler. On the social network Threads, she explains that “the baby had noise-cancelling headphones for children”, also specifying that the crowd was paying close attention to him. “We left a nice space around them, there was the whole family, everyone was caring and the parents were very attentive, the baby didn’t cry once,” she adds.
If some Internet users have questioned the rules around the age limit in places that host concerts, a spokesperson for Paris La Défense Arena quoted by the Huffington Post, recalls that “the general conditions of sale stipulate that all minors (without age limit) holding a ticket for a concert at Paris La Défense Arena must be accompanied by an adult.
“Children under the age of 18 remain the responsibility of their legal guardian, this is the room’s policy», he adds. As for the specific case of this baby wearing noise-cancelling headphones, the spokesperson for Paris La Défense Arena assures that “an alternative seating solution was offered to spectators with a young child but it was refused by these ticket holders“.