The luxury holiday photos once plastered across Lola-Fleur Whittaker's Instagram account stand in stark contrast to the British-French student's hard-Left political views.
asserted
photos → plaster → views
Ms Whittaker, 22, has become one of the most recognisable faces of France's protest movement, which has erupted amid widespread anger over the rising cost of living and teacher shortages.
asserted
which → become → living
But she seemingly scrubbed her Instagram profile after social media users scrutinised pictures of the activist's holidays and jewellery, saying they did not reflect Ms Whittaker's background of being raised by a single mother – something she uses to explain her radical outlook.
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she → scrub → outlook
In an Instagram video, she claimed her mother 'is overdrawn every month, like 30 per cent of French people' and buys bin bags from discount retailer Action rather than Lidl because they are cheaper.
She has also said her mum, who is a teacher, eats cookies for lunch because she can't 'pay for the cafeteria'.
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she → claim → cafeteria
Ms Whittaker's comments about her mother became a source of online mockery, with some users launching a crowdfunding campaign titled, 'A meal for Lola-Fleur's mother'.
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users → become → mother
Lola-Fleur Whittaker regularly uses social media to champion the movement, and recently called on young Britonss to follow in the footsteps of their French neighbours
Ms Whittaker has become one of the most recognisable faces of France's protest movement
'The mother eats cookies while the daughter travels,' one person commented on an Instagram picture, while another said: 'Bourgeois leftist who receives 30k aid and lectures us on morals.'
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who → use → morals
Ms Whittaker subsequently deleted her photographs from holidays in the likes of Sicily, Greece, Malaysia, Egypt and Oman, insisting she had not removed them 'out of shame' but because of what she described as 'sexist, vile comments about my appearance, about my body'.
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she → delete → body
Defending her travel history, she said she had been in 'a very beautiful relationship with an incredible family who very often invited me on vacation'.
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who → defend → vacation
She also said she had friends 'all over the world', which, she explained, considerably reduced the cost of her trips.
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she → say → trips
Ms Whittaker also hit out at those who have highlighted her expensive education, saying she left the University of Manchester – from which she graduated in 2024 – with 'debts up to my neck'.
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she → hit → neck
Now pursuing a Master's degree at Sciences Po in Paris, the student said she can only afford to attend the highly regarded institution thanks to a scholarship.
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she → pursue → scholarship
Ms Whittaker has emerged as a vocal supporter of the protests that have gripped France this month and descended into some of the country's worst rioting in years.
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that → emerge → years
In the demonstrations, protesters have torched cars and rubbish bins, clashed with police and looted shops.
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protesters → torch → shops
Thousands of people have been arrested, while peaceful protesters and officers have faced violent attacks as unrest continues to spread.
And tensions continue to climb, as France's Interior Minister warned on Thursday of a 'very high risk of public disorder' and announced around 70,000 police officers will be deployed for a new wave of protests this weekend.
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officers → arrest → protests
Laurent Nunez also said that authorities had detected social media calls for Halloween gatherings this evening calling for a 'revolution'.
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authorities → say → revolution
Ms Whittaker regularly uses social media to champion the movement, and recently called on young Britons to follow in the footsteps of their French neighbours.
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Whittaker → use → neighbours
As a prominent supporter of the hard-Left France Unbowed party, she has campaigned for an additional €10billion (£8billion) a year in education funding, an end to teacher shortages and open access to universities.
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she → leave → universities
Ms Whittaker appears on La Grande Confrontation, where she appeared to scoff mockingly during a heated debate
In response to criticism of her political views, Ms Whittaker has frequently highlighted her upbringing by a low-income single mother
She also participated in the blockade of sixth-form colleges and organised similar demonstrations outside her own institution.
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She → appear → institution
Speaking to the Times, Ms Whittaker argued that looters had been unfairly portrayed, claiming some of the goods taken from shops had been distributed to people in need.
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some → speak → need
'I'm not saying it's good what happened,' she said.
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she → say → ?
'It's just there was also a huge thing of solidarity going on.
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It → be → solidarity
They were going out and just giving food and drinks and clothes to people, to homeless people, for example.
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They → go → example
There's another side to the story.'
Ms Whittaker has also urged young Britons to follow the movement happening in France.
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Whittaker → be → France
'I'm inviting them to join us all.
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I → invite → us
This is an invite,' she told the publication, while acknowledging she is not confident that British universities will erupt in protests, but believes that workers might.
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workers → tell → protests
Recently, the young activist sparked fierce backlash after appearing on French television, where she appeared to scoff at business owners whose livelihoods had been devastated by the riots.
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livelihoods → spark → riots
'Your shops, that's all very well,' she said mockingly during a heated debate on La Grande Confrontation about who was to blame for the violence.
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who → say → violence
Her remarks prompted an immediate rebuke from Jhemima Sheilha, a bakery chain owner whose businesses had been looted.
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businesses → prompt → Sheilha
'It's my life, Lola,' Ms Sheilha replied.
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Sheilha → reply → ?
'We've had to see our businesses smashed.
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businesses → have → ?
'What justifies terrorising people's lives?'
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What → justify → lives
Ms Whittaker hit out at those who have pointed out her expensive education, saying she left Manchester with 'debts up to my neck'
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she → hit → neck
She is one of many young influencers who have taken to social media to preach the hard-Left cause
Ms Whittaker is one of many young influencers who have taken to social media to preach the hard-Left cause.
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron blamed social media for the weeks of protests and rioting in France.
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Macron → take → France
The French President claimed that social media is 'damaging our democracies' after his government has struggled to contain the violence and looting across the country.
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government → claim → country
He said on a visit to Marseille that social media was especially used during unrest on October 17 'to bring young and not-so-young people to places where criminal acts, attacks and looting were taking place'.
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acts → say → place
Mr Macron also described social media as 'tools for mobilising the worst impulses' and warned that a new wave of protests this weekend could turn 'risky'.
uncertain
wave → describe → protests
He acknowledged that authorities had 'not anticipated at all' the scale of the demonstrations a week earlier.
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authorities → acknowledge → demonstrations
His comments came after rioters briefly stormed Marseille City Hall on October 17.
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rioters → come → October
Mr Macron, alongside Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, met with students demanding better school conditions as the French government seeks to draw a line under weeks of violence and looting.
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government → meet → violence
And on Thursday, representatives of youth organisations met Mr Nunez but emerged disappointed.
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representatives → meet → Nunez
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
