Is France burning?
Short answer: yes.
Is Paris Burning? is the name of a 1966 movie about France’s liberation from the Nazis. This is how it ended:
… [F]ighting breaks out in the streets and civilians join in the battle. Allied troops reach Rue de Rivoli and enter Choltitz’s office at the Hotel Meurice, asking him to have German officers accompany Free French troops throughout the city under white flags to convey the surrender order to his troops. French tanks reach Notre Dame Cathedral and reactivate the bells after years of silence. The crowd cheers and sings “La Marseillaise.” Free French forces parade down the streets of Paris led by General de Gaulle. Against a backdrop of cheering crowds, a phone receiver is shown dangling off the hook with a German voice repeatedly asking “Is Paris burning?” Aerial footage shows Paris intact, and the view switches from the black and white of 1944 to contemporary colour footage.
Contemporary in 1966, that is. France suffered widespread riots a bit later, in 1968. But they were somewhat different than today’s riots, and France was very different as well:
May 68 (French: Mai 68) was a period of widespread protests, riots, strikes, and general civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Sparked by student demonstrations against university conditions and government repression, the movement quickly escalated into a nationwide general strike involving millions of workers, bringing the country to the brink of revolution.
Note it started with students – or appeared to do so, much like today’s riots. The left took over pretty quickly, just as it’s doing now. Then again, there was no “green” back then in a red-green alliance. Most of the people involved were French rather than children of so-called “migrants” who are heavily involved today.
In 1968:
Inspired by countercultural, anti-imperialist, Marxist, and anarchist ideologies, students increasingly viewed themselves as part of a revolutionary struggle against capitalism and authoritarianism. At the same time, the French working class was dissatisfied with stagnant wages and poor working conditions, despite growth. The political order, dominated by President Charles de Gaulle’s Fifth Republic, was seen by many as outdated and repressive.
It was, after all, the 60s. As such, it was typical of the 60s, but French-style. France has a history of large leftist demonstrations/riots. You might say the original of the genre was the French Revolution.
What ultimately happened in 1968? De Gaulle made some economic concessions and the whole thing petered out. But France has been a welfare state for quite some time, and the French have gotten very very accustomed to being taken care of.
What will happen now? Darned if I know, but the consensus is that these riots will ultimately benefit Le Pen, and that the French economy is in bad enough shape that the Macron forces can’t satisfy the mob by upping the benefits:
Elections next year will see President Emmanuel Macron step down after a decade in power. The unrest is likely to boost far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who is already the frontrunner in polls and has long talked tough on law and order.
“Le Pen no longer needs to spend any money to campaign,” Jean-Baptiste Moreau, a former lawmaker from Macron’s camp, told Reuters. “It’s not just a clear path ahead of her, it’s a six-lane highway.”
Time will tell.
We will see.
AFAICT, le Pen doesn’t have any solutions either. That may change going forward. Back in the 60’s I believe the French communists were anti-emigrant.
The red-green alliance will try to see that the Fifth Republic doesn’t survive to hold those elections next year.
It amuses me that Le Pen gets called “far right.” To me, she looks like a garden variety European politician who’s in favor of a generous social safety net, and the only thing “right wing” about her is she thinks that safety net should be reserved for people who are, well, French.
Is Paris Burning?
I haven’t seen the movie (didn’t know that existed); but, I have read the book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes history.
As for the current situation – it is very heartbreaking to see all of the destruction. A couple of news clips that I have seen show shopkeepers (who might be immigrants themselves) crying over the destruction of their businesses. It so often seems to be the “little guy” who gets more than his share of whatever hits the fan.
Where is the French Army in all this? I’m curious. During the Algerian crises the French Army in Algeria, led by the so-called colonels (of deployed regiments), verged on outright mutiny against the government. And it is my understanding, which may not be correct, that mutiny and civil war threatened in France itself and was only narrowly averted by the maneuverings and machinations of de Gaulle.
I do understand (probably) why the army has not been called out and deployed to stop the rioting. What I want to know why no one is talking about the army at all, in any context. Am I missing something?
I suspect the regular French Army is full of Mohammedans
Maybe so. But are there not dissident factions within the French army that are not compromised by excessive numbers of Muslims and which might be induced to take action?
My larger point is, why have we heard of no discussion or speculation along these lines? Nary a peep about what the army’s leadership as well as its rank-and-file are thinking and feeling about the goings-on?
All part of the policy of pretending that what is happening is NOT actually happening…
…since to acknowledge that it IS actually happening would be to strengthen Le Pen’s party…
…and ONE CAN’T HAVE THAT.
Perhaps your real question is, Why has there been no kind of coup attempt by either the military or more military branches of the gendarmerie…? At least not yet.
The answer might be a profound reluctance to do what they all fervently HOPE is not necessary…and the fear of the unknown for the country they love once the decision is made to go down that road.
What does a true patriot do in such a situation?
Related:
“Military intervenes: Italy and France attempt to stop the violence;
“France will deploy military forces in Paris and Marseille, Italy will station 500 soldiers in Milan, and Albania reports 295 people injured.”—
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/434914
(Albania?)
To Europeans, some here, they say “Far Right” with the meaning NAZIs without saying it.
Of course the National Socialists wete next to the Communists but once Germany invade Russia it was gloves off and then anyone not Communist was a Nazi.
Still remember a argument in a high school class I had with teacher telling me “Right” was Nazis and ” Leftists ” wete Communists. I didn’t believe him then and know now he was pushing that Russian terminology.
The last election – all the parties joined to beat Le Pen
Current Polls:
Le Pen – 35 to 40% (RIGHT)
La France Insouisme – Communists – Melenchon – 18% (LEFT)
Socialists – 18% (LEFT)
Macron’s party – 18% (LEFT)
Eric Zemmour – 5% (RIGHT)
France needs more riots, murders by Muslims, Looting of businesses and homes, burning cars and buildings before the April 2027 election to get Le Pen to 45% or so.
Le Pen said on TV last week: “Islam and France are compatible.” She is lying or she is a fool. She also wants retirement at 60 in an economy that is 57.5% Government. She is lying or she is a fool.
Grab the popcorn.
She is lying or she is a fool.
I suspect fool. France is kind of screwed, a majority of the french are in favor of stopping immigration for at least a couple of years, but none of their leaders are stepping up to fulfill that desire. They suffer from a useless elite, much of Europe is the same. Let’s see what happens in Spain in the next election.
I’d say Britain is screwed as well. The left sees its opportunity and will go for the kill.
Current Polls: Le Pen – 35 to 40% (RIGHT); La France Insouisme – Communists – Melenchon – 18% (LEFT); Socialists – 18% (LEFT); Macron’s party – 18% (LEFT); Eric Zemmour – 5% (RIGHT)
==
Those are not the current polls. French pollsters are not publishing surveys on hypothetical legislative elections. The last published were in October of 2025. These estimated that the sum of leftist parties were favored by 30% of the French electorate. The business-as-usual parties were polling at about 26%. The nationalist parties were polling at about 40%. The current leader of LR, the party of the conventional right, joined the party after a history in sovereigntist organizations. LR voters demonstrated in 2022 that they were content with RN as a second choice. Macron’s organization lost 40% of its polled support in 2024-25. Business-as-usual and the left no longer have sufficient public sentiment to lock out the nationalist parties.
==
As for the upcoming presidential contest, both Marine Le Pen and her deputy Jordan Bardella have over the last year and a half scored 35% of the vote as 1st round candidates. The only other candidate who has polled above 20% in that time is Edouard Phillippe, a political chameleon who has been co-operating with Macron the last nine years. Philippe’s position has been slowly eroding. The polls at this time of the first round contest put Le Pen around 35% of the vote and her three most popular rivals at around 15% each.
==
All French presidential elections since 1965 have been settled in runoff contests. In simulated runoffs, Philippe is the only candidate who has ever outpolled Le Pen and Bardella in the last year and a half and not consistently. All surveys at this time show Le Pen besting Philippe, Gabriel Attal (Macron’s minion), Raphael Glucksman (left), and Jean Luc Melanchon (hard left) and not by narrow margins.
AFAICT, le Pen doesn’t have any solutions either.
==
She is not addressing imbalances in the political economy. She has solutions to the immigration question. What may bedevil her is building and maintaining a sufficient armed force to implement them.
France has disappeared off the news.
Via JJ Sefton this morning:
https://nypost.com/2026/10/20/us-news/young-us-radicals-headed-to-france-to-join-cop-bashing-protests-are-planning-to-bring-riots-to-our-shores/
A quote:
outside Paul Éluard, the high school at the heart of the leftist protests
I looked that up, it’s less than a mile from where the NFL game will be played on Sunday.
I added popcorn to my grocery list.
This morning Macron said that all those images of France burning are AI generated.
You thought Macron had a conscience?
IrishOtter49 and others, while it is not France, the Italian government is reported to have deployed about 500 Italian military to “defend” Milan. What exactly they will be doing the reports haven’t said. But, it sounds like a step in the right direction.
Lunch today in Boca Raton, server was a very pleasant woman maybe around 45, very talkative–she was talking about how good Tom Sawyer was and how sad it is that no one is making good movies anymore. She had no idea that there were riots going on in France
@ Charles > ” A couple of news clips that I have seen show shopkeepers (who might be immigrants themselves) crying over the destruction of their businesses. It so often seems to be the “little guy” who gets more than his share of whatever hits the fan.”
This was a feature of the “mostly peaceful protests” in the USA. All of the damage was inflicted by Democrats and their (putative) allies in Democrat-run locations, destroying Democrat-owned properties (for the most part).
In general, though, damage caused by political opponents who take their complaints out kinetically are inflicted on both sides of the disputes, as seen throughout history.
To cite one of many examples, it didn’t really matter to the peasants if the knights and armies trampling their grain fields belonged to the Yorkists or the Lancastrians. And regardless of which side gained the throne of England, the peasants were not going to be any better off.
And yet, many of them still supported one side against the other, for various reasons!
@ David Foster > “She had no idea that there were riots going on in France”
There may have been an equivalent ignorance in Ye Olde Times that had the same effect: not knowing what is going on in the world allows personal perceptions of political parties to remain undisturbed by reality.