In a truly "life imitating art" moment, a street musician was filmed calmly playing a soothing tune on the keyboards in the middle of explosion- and fire-filled police clashes with anti-lockdown protesters in Barcelona.
The movie-like video was captured during the second night of demonstrations in the city on Saturday and went viral on Monday. A street musician, who goes by the name Pianilito Peter on Instagram, can be seen playing nonchalantly, seemingly unfazed by what’s going on right next to him.
He didn't so much as turn his head when half a dozen police vehicles with sirens blaring raced after protesters who were lobbing what looked like stones and bottles at them.
Perhaps ironically, Peter was performing the song ‘Eternal Flame’, originally recorded by the 80s band The Bangles.
The online community was astonished by his calmness, with many searching for appropriate memes to describe it. Many likened his performance to a scene from the 1997 ‘Titanic’ film, in which the string band starts playing as the stricken ship begins to sink.
Some commenters quipped that Peter’s performance perfectly reflected the spirit of the year 2020.
Violent protests erupted in Barcelona after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared a six-month state of emergency on October 25, granting the regional governments freedom in imposing tough anti-coronavirus measures. The Catalan authorities then imposed a curfew from 10pm to 6am, with stores and other establishments open to the public being forced to close by 9pm.
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