Kelly Piquet, the Brazilian model and partner of Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, is facing fierce online backlash after posting an Instagram statement criticizing the violence that erupted during France's nationwide protests on October 17. What she framed as a plea against destruction, many readers framed as privilege talking — and the argument has been raging across social media ever since.
What Piquet Said
In her Instagram post, the 37-year-old German-born model, daughter of three-time F1 champion Nelson Piquet, wrote: "Watching what is happening in France and in other European countries is deeply upsetting. There is a difference between protesting, demanding change and making your voice heard, and destroying the very communities you claim to be fighting for."
She continued: "People can have very real reasons to be angry. They can feel unheard, frustrated and abandoned by the institutions meant to serve them. But burning public buildings, destroying businesses, attacking people and leaving entire streets devastated doesn't fix any of those problems." Piquet noted that shop owners, families, and taxpayers were suffering from the unrest, and she later responded directly to several critics in her comments — exchanges that were screenshotted and circulated widely.
The Backlash
Critics accused Piquet of being disconnected from the financial struggles driving the protests because of her privileged background. "Kelly girl just shut up. Read the room," one user wrote on X. Another posted: "A millionaire who lives in Monaco telling the working class how to protest for their rights." Piquet and Verstappen live in Monaco with their daughter Lily, born in 2025, and Piquet's older daughter Penelope from a previous relationship.
The protests she was reacting to began over the rising cost of living and poor conditions in French schools before escalating in several cities. Official figures put the October 17 turnout at around 550,000 nationwide (organizers claimed closer to 800,000), with approximately 2,400 arrests and nearly 1,000 police officers and gendarmes injured. In Limoges, the historic 1876 town hall was set on fire and its roof collapsed.
Defenders Push Back
Not everyone disagreed with Piquet. "And she's right so what's your problem?" one user replied. Another wrote: "What's funny is that all of you know what she's saying is true, y'all don't want her to say it." Supporters argued that condemning the burning of public buildings is not the same as dismissing the protesters' grievances.
The French government drew its own line on Sunday: President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address that "those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable," while distinguishing protesters with "legitimate demands" from those who "destroyed, smashed, and looted." The European Commission, meanwhile, defended the right to peaceful protest while condemning violence, arson, and looting as "unacceptable."
Whether Piquet's post was a reasonable condemnation of violence or an out-of-touch lecture from a Monaco mansion, the internet has already delivered its split verdict — and neither side is backing down.
Watch: YouTube search results for coverage of the Kelly Piquet France protests backlash (no single definitive video; results show the latest commentary).
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: India Times, Brit Brief, The Straits Times