People in the contemporary world live in fear of being attacked in public places.
Patrons in a city that has already been traumatized by terrorist attacks, Paris, were given the fright of their lives as a patron shouted "Allahu Akbar" during a screening of Joker.
According to Le Parisien, the unidentified male suspect chanted "It's political," before standing up and proclaiming the Arabic phrase, which means "God is great."
Some members of the audience didn't move, but some reportedly fell into mass hysteria.
"It was total panic," said a man named Victor, who was in the theater. "People jumped over seats and women fell to the ground in the aisles."
The man was ultimately arrested and taken into psychiatric custody by the police.
The director of the Grand Rex--the cinema in Paris in which the incident occurred--says he believes the suspect was employing an elaborate ruse to "take people's phones and bags."
"Apparently, they had already used the same tactic once on a train," he said.
Joker has already seen its fair share of criticism.
It shows a descent into madness and employment of terrorism, but by a White person instead of someone of Middle-Eastern descent.
The US Army and the NYPD issued warnings about possible shootings by young White male "incels" inspired by the Joker movie.
It seems ironic then that a single Arabic phrase—with very innocuous meaning—would send a theater full of Parisians into a panic.
But these are the times we live in.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
Ronald Grump the Muppet in 1988; Joe Pesci as Ronald Grump in 1994; Donald Grump in 2005PBS
PBS
PBS
