Nobody panic. It’s just a violent uprising. And however tense things get, history shows that popular revolts in France always resolve amicably.
(Crickets. “Is this thing on?”)
The powers that be in Paris tried on Monday to reassure local officials following a wild weekend defined by looting, arson and clashes between riot police and costumed demonstrators determined to litigate sundry grievances in the streets.
In a briefing with reporters, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu indicated that localized curfews were an option, but said a city-wide curfew in the capital was “out of the question.”
Emmanuel Macron, who Louis-Vincent Gave on Monday aptly described as “in office, but not in power,” squandered a nationally-televised address wondering how it’s come to this.
“We all asked ourselves: What is going through their minds?” Macron said, of images depicting fires, shattered glass and defaced monuments. “How can French people do this to France?”
Good questions. Unfortunately, Macron had no answers. And that’s really the crux of the issue: He’s out of touch, or if he’s not he does a great impression of someone who is.
As the figure shows, the spread between France’s 10-year yields and Germany’s benchmark borrowing costs nearly kissed 150bps on Monday. We’re now close enough to the debt crisis wides to call this an emergency.
As discussed here over the weekend, Marine Le Pen blamed the far-left for the violence and the establishment (i.e., France’s political center and specifically Macron) for the conditions that precipitated it.
For his part, Macron leaned into the leftist “thugs” talking point, lambasting “agitators from ultra-left fringe groups” who were joined by “numerous delinquents.”
Meanwhile — and I’ve no doubt that most of you read and lamented the response from The White House, but I feel compelled to mention it anyway — Donald Trump and JD Vance blamed immigrants while fanning the flames and alluding to the great replacement theory.
“France is burning!” Trump shrieked, over the weekend. “The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country.” He followed up on Monday morning: “The migrants have taken over France!”
JD Vance was less bombastic and, as a darkly ironic consequence, more insidious. “Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion, ignor[ing] fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility,” he said. “I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn.”
IMHO, France, as well as other European countries, allows immigration because they need workers for jobs- because there aren’t enough native French people willing to do certain jobs. Secondarily, immigration can be supported “in the name of diversity and compassion”.
Going forward, France will still need immigrants who are willing to work.
Thankfully for their immigrant wives, Trump’s and Vance’s white male paternalism, and a heavy dose of false machismo, shows the superiority of the US and keeps them safe.
These Parisian riots have been badly reported in the US press. The marches did not devolve into riots and the simplified view that the NYT and other outlets provide does a real disservice to readers.
I live in Paris part time and was out having dinner on the 17th—crucially on the left bank. And I read Le Monde in real time, which provided detailed, blow-by-blow, neighborhood by neighborhood of how the riots unfolded and is the basis of my account below.
The Paris marches in support of the high school students were roughly 500K. And they were planned and the marchers had govt permits to march.
The riots occurred because hundreds of young males, many non-white (whatever that means), planned to and succeeded in using the cover of the march to attack and take over parts of the right bank. Was this some kind of French Antifa but directed and guided by some anarchist high command? No one knows….yet.
These hundreds of casseurs (literally breakers in French) are the the descendants of the Gilet Jaune from back in 2018. The French call them the “black bloc” and that’s how they dress. They perfectly infiltrated the marches, starting in the morning and continuing into the evening. Paris authorities did not know this was coming or happening (?????) and did not plan sufficient anti-riot police forces so they were taken completely by surprise—that’s partly why the riots were so destructive
The black bloc forces simply pealed off from the main march and targeted the expensive up market shopping areas in the right bank. They had HOURS in which to destroy stores and burn cars and literally took over streets and had the police on the run at times. They got within 300 meters of where Macron lives. And once they started other young men arrived to do the serious looting. Tourists with shopping bags filled with designer goods crossed paths with blackly clad youngsters holding same.
Again—these were not the peaceful marchers.
These casseurs had two main targets: capitalism, as represented by the big brands (one rioter was yelling “Where is Chanel?” as he wanted some matching handbags), and the government itself. They wanted to bring down something but its not clear yet what has fallen, aside from the beautiful city hall building in Limoges which was viciously destroyed
On mange les chiens and les chats, JD?