On July 17 (local time), BTS kicked off the first night of the Paris stop of their ARIRANG World Tour at the iconic Stade de fяαи¢є in Saint-Denis, fяαи¢є. To witness BTS's long-awaited return to fяαи¢є as a complete group, fans from across Europe and around the world flocked to the venue, turning the area surrounding the stadium into a festival-like celebration long before the concert even began.

Notably, among the approximately 88,000 fans who filled the stadium on the opening night were French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron. In its live coverage of the concert, Le Parisien highlighted their attendance, writing, "Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have arrived at the stadium," and even selected the moment the presidential couple appeared on the venue's LED screen as one of the night's most memorable highlights.

The pαѕѕion and love French fans have for BTS are undeniable. However, a small group of local fans appeared to blur the line between admiration and invading the artists' privacy. By persistently following the members and displaying excessive behavior outside the concert venue, their enthusiasm unintentionally turned into a source of disturbance, significantly affecting the members' personal space and peace of mind.

One video currently going viral on social media shows the BTS members taking some time to enjoy Paris like ordinary tourists before their performance. Rather than being able to enjoy these rare moments in peace, however, they were repeatedly followed and filmed everywhere they went—even after stepping inside an elevator.

In the now-viral clip, V is even seen covering the fans' phone cameras with his hand after they pressed their devices against the elevator's glαѕѕ doors to film and photograph the members inside. Meanwhile, the crowd continued shouting and repeatedly calling out the members' names. The expressions on the BTS members' faces clearly reflected their awkwardness and discomfort as they found themselves surrounded and filmed despite not being on any public schedule.

Nor was this an isolated incident. Throughout BTS's stay in Paris, numerous videos capturing the members' private activities—including going bowling, visiting the Eiffel Tower, dining at restaurants, and strolling through the city—have circulated widely across social media. The footage suggests that crowds of fans continuously followed and recorded the group wherever they appeared, leaving the members with virtually no privacy throughout their visit.

Another widely shared video shows hundreds of people gathering outside the hotel where BTS were staying almost around the clock. The constant crowd turned the area surrounding the hotel into a noisy scene, with fans screaming and calling the members' names whenever they stepped outside, creating significant disturbance.

Ironically, this came only weeks after V publicly pleaded with fans to stop gathering outside the group's hotel during BTS's stop in Brussels, Belgium, in early July, when the situation had become similarly severe. At the time, he wrote, "I am incredibly grateful for your warm welcome, but if possible, I would highly appreciate it if you could refrain from coming to the front of the hotel."

He also sincerely explained that he did not want to reveal where he was staying because it directly affected his physical condition for performances. "While on tour, having time to visit good restaurants, walk down the streets, and comfortably enjoy the country is deeply precious to me. I hope no one comes to the hotel in the future. Please show some consideration," he ever emphasized.

Yet only a few weeks after his heartfelt request, the behavior seen in Paris suggests that some fans chose to ignore his plea and continued engaging in actions that many consider disrespectful toward the BTS members. The situation has sparked frustration among ARMYs worldwide, with many criticizing the intrusive behavior and urging local fans to respect the artists' privacy, commenting:

- Omgg how bold are these beaches. I myself feel soo uncomfortable seeing this. These ppl should be given j@1l time fr.. Why is no one taking strict action against them??

- Bruh wtf , all their lyrics of normal Down of the toilet , this cringy people dont care about their music at all

- The level of harαѕѕment BTS faces is terrible, coming from both so-called fans and the media. I saw a video where one of the members was even trying to stop people from filming them. Please, let’s not normalize posting videos of them or following them everywhere. Let’s show them respect. I can't believe some people have forgotten what Taehyung said

- Report all stalkers and those sharing content to Hybe https://protect.hybecorp.com

- These psycotic fяєαкs will NEVER stop.. their brains wired completely diff. they dc about anything.. Yall need to bring back throwing eggs/tomatoes/shoes & whatnot on them & public shame each one of them every single time.. bcs if no action taken this harαѕѕment will NEVER STOP

- The level of disrespect and complete disregard for both their safety and privacy from the moment they landed has been insane. Thank God there's only one more show there

- I‘m so glad and proud that they could enjoy their time in Munich and didn’t got stalked like they do in Paris now… french ppl you should be ashamed of your fellows, the way bts gets treated since they landed there is terrible and unacceptable!! I really hope they stay save!!!

- People haven’t forgotten, they just don’t care. If they respected BTS to begin with, they’d never behave like this. Grown ss adults should not need their idols to tell them how to behave like mature, respectful human beings. It’s just pathetic