The polished stage of the G7 summit in Biarritz is turning ugly. French riot police are battling protesters who have breached security cordons. Tear gas hangs over the streets.
The smell of burning tyres is mixing with sea salt. This was meant to be a showcase of Western unity. Instead, it's a reminder of the anger simmering beneath the surface.
And from London, a pointed call for order. Downing Street has issued a statement expressing 'concern' over the violence. The prime minister is urging all sides to show restraint.
But the message is clear: the UK expects its allies to maintain law and order. The optics are terrible for Macron. He wanted a clean summit.
He wanted to sell his vision of a reformed Europe. Instead, he's got burning barricades and headlines about chaos. For Johnson, this is a gift.
He can position himself as the voice of stability. The man who can manage the mob. The choreography of the summit is now disrupted.
Key bilaterals are being delayed. Security briefings are taking up cabinet ministers' time. The real work happens in the corridors, of course.
But the noise from the streets is deafening. Whitehall sources tell me there is a quiet satisfaction in some quarters. The French are seen as having lost control.
British diplomacy will now push its own agenda harder. Expect more talk of 'taking back control' and 'sovereignty'. The protesters, a motley crew of climate activists, anti-capitalists, and yellow vests, are making one thing clear: the gap between the elite and the people is widening.
This summit was supposed to bridge it. It's doing the opposite. The violence will dominate the news cycle.
It will overshadow any policy announcements. For the prime minister, that's not all bad. He can now play the statesman.
He can call for calm. He can look tough on law and order. And he can use this to argue that the UK's approach—tough on protest, tough on crime—is the right one.
Watch for a shift in tone from the British delegation. They will be quieter, more serious. They know this plays to their domestic strengths.
For Macron, this is a nightmare. He needs the summit to succeed. He needs it to show that France is a leader.
Instead, it's showing that France is a place where the streets can erupt at any moment. The protest movement is not going away. It's global.
And it's angry. The G7 leaders are meeting behind high fences. The people outside are trying to tear them down.
That is the story of our times. I am told that the prime minister's plane is on standby. If things escalate, he will leave early.
But he won't want to. He will want to be seen as the one who stayed, who managed the crisis. That's the game.
The summit continues, but the real drama is on the streets. And in the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring. The UK is watching.
It is learning. It is adapting. The call for order is also a call for a different kind of politics.
One that controls the narrative. One that controls the streets. Watch this space.
