The French have a history of protest, riot and revolution in their politics. The latest installment is playing out now, having started at the end of last month. It began as a student protest against the lack of toilet paper in the bathrooms, a lack of substitute teachers when the regular teacher is ill and a lack of maintenance on school buildings. Over the last couple of weeks, it has grown into a nationwide outburst of general anger at how France is doing economically, politically and socially. If the Macron government does not fix this, the next French president will be the hard-right Marine Le Pen.
For the first while, the protests were peaceful enough, but soon, the tear gas came out, and one young man lost his hand when he tried to throw a concussion grenade back at the police. Violence spreads easily in this kind of environment.
The New York Times stated, “In unrest starting on Saturday, several government buildings were attacked and more than 3,000 shops were looted, leading to the arrest of more than 2,500 people across France, officials said. The attacks and looting spun off from massive, largely peaceful protests about school conditions and the rising costs of living.”
Consequently, many French cities imposed over-night curfews to stem the chaos. It seems that the government is ready to continue in that vein. France 24 reported on their English language site, “French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Tuesday during a session of the National Assembly that authorities would mobilise a ‘massive’ security presence next weekend after organisers announced plans for new protests. Lecornu also accused ultra-left groups of fomenting an ‘insurrection’ leading to the past weekend’s riots on the sidelines of nationwide demonstrations over the cost of living and education funding.”
The decision to sit on bayonets was as predictable as it is wrong. One is confident that there are ultra-left groups taking advantage of the situation, but they are not that numerous nor that effective. The real problem is that the French government is seen to be failing the French people. Mr. Lecornu could put the Foreign Legion on the streets of Paris, but that does not make gasoline and baguettes any cheaper. A heavy police presence does not get a substitute teacher into a class room. It sure as hell does not put toilet paper in any bathrooms.
This journal supports lawful protests in all their forms. This journal also supports public safety as a sine qua non of civilization. There is, in France as in most western nations, a space where protests do not endanger the public. The situation has moved beyond that happy region into a place where there are arrests, injuries and likely someone is going to die. It is up to the French government to find a way out of this.
There is a presidential election on 18 April 2026. Reuters reported last week:
-
Le Pen would top the first-round vote with either 37% or 38% depending on the scenarios tested by pollster Odoxa in a survey carried out among 12,000 people between September 24 and October 7.
-
[Far Left candidate Jean-Luc] Melenchon would come second with 18% or 18.5% in each of the two scenarios.
-
Both were tested against one centrist candidate comprising either Edouard Philippe or Gabriel Attal, both of whom are former Prime Ministers of Emmanuel Macron. Philippe is seen getting 17% of the votes, while Attal would get only 11%.
-
Le Pen is seen beating Melenchon easily in a run-off and also winning, albeit with a more narrow margin, if she faced Philippe.
It is not too late to prevent this. Mr. Macron should find a way to split the students from the non-student protesters by reforming French education. That is a long-term plan, but the first step can simply be greater funding for schools. Efforts to lower petroleum product prices are already in the works, but bringing them swiftly to conclusion is vital.
What one sees in France, and a great many other countries, is a government that has failed to deliver for the voters. While this journal has supported Mr. Macron and his prime ministers over the years, it is clear they have lost their mojo. If they cannot get any of it back, Madame Le Pen will be president in May.