France divided over who is to blame for weekend riots and what to learn from them
After riots on 17 October in which more than 3,000 shops were reportedly looted, French politicians are trading accusations while students reject claims of manipulation. A parliamentary inquiry has been proposed, and the presidential election is six months away.
Violent riots and mass looting broke out in France on Saturday, 17 October, following weeks of student protests in the outskirts of Paris. French reports say more than 3,000 shops and businesses were hit. Politicians are now arguing over who is responsible, six months before a presidential election, so the dispute feeds directly into the country's political contest.
What happened
Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly (the lower house of the French parliament), has proposed a parliamentary inquiry into the riots and how they were organised. Across the country, buildings were marked with an anarchist symbol, a capital A circled in black. A widely shown video appears to show young men dressed in black, faces hidden by kerchiefs, attacking police vans with what look like large hammers or machetes.
A 29 September intelligence report published by Le Figaro describes the "manipulation" of student demonstrations by unions and radical-left movements. It suggests the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) was using violence as an electoral strategy ahead of the 2027 presidential vote. The looting itself seems largely opportunistic: many young people tried to sell stolen goods, including designer trainers, online. Sales platforms say they will cooperate with authorities, police are examining CCTV and social media footage, and President Emmanuel Macron says those responsible will face justice.
Political blame
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez blame the "hard left". LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon firmly denies this, accuses the prime minister of responsibility for the chaos, and suggests the violence may have been allowed to unfold. Marine Le Pen of the anti-immigration National Rally, who leads opinion polls, blamed Mélenchon and the government. The interior minister admitted there were too few officers on the streets, and Macron has demanded explanations and a new policing strategy.
Lisa Cordat of the FSE student union rejected claims that politicians direct the students. Former prime minister Gabriel Attal called for selective social media blackouts, while Belgium's interior minister Bernard Quintin warned of the "TikTokisation" of violence.
Protests also took place in Italy, Portugal, Albania and Belgium. A Pew poll shows 69% of people in France are dissatisfied with democracy.
