Amid the violence that has gripped France, several foreign leaders, led by US President Donald Trump, have added fuel to the fire by blaming “immigration”. This contradicts the position of the majority of French politicians and experts, who focus their attention on the radical left and the growing polarization of society.
“France is burning! The immigration of people from a completely different world, people who harbor hatred in their hearts, has destroyed this once great country“, Trump said on Sunday. "Close your borders and take back control before it's too late!" he warned.
This is a recurring rhetoric from the Trump administration, which in its 2026 strategic defense review predicted Europe would face "civilizational decline," especially because of a migration policy it described as too liberal.
US Vice President J.D. Vance also blamed immigration for the serious unrest that accompanied Saturday's protests in France against the high cost of living. He accused the US Democratic Party of wanting the same future for Americans, just two weeks before parliamentary elections in which the Republican Party is at a disadvantage.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also spoke in a similar tone. According to him, in view of this unjustified violence, it is perhaps now clear to everyone why Hungary recommends the strictest possible measures in the field of migration.
“This is what Europe expects with Islamo-leftism“, said the leader of the Spanish far-right party “Vox“ Santiago Abascal.
French President Emmanuel Macron, however, seemed to implicitly reject attempts to stigmatize the immigrant population or people with an immigrant background.
“How is it possible for the French to do this to France?“ he asked yesterday, condemning the actions of “rioters originating from small ultra-left groups, joined by numerous criminals“.
Urban Development Minister Vincent Jeanbrun specified that among the participants in the pogroms there was also “a small part of people from our poorer urban districts, where there is a certain amount of crime, fueled in particular by drug traffickers“.
Immigration is an extremely sensitive issue in the European Union. French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, seen as a frontrunner for the 2027 presidential election, has taken a hard line on immigration. But in the wake of the weekend's unrest, her National Rally party has chosen to blame radical left activists, calling them "a cancer on our democracy," and the radical left party France Indépendant, the main political rival of the National Rally.
According to National Rally president Jordan Bardella, "the radical left has become the armed wing" of France Indépendant.
On Saturday, October 17, "the vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful." But, as is usually the case with such demonstrations in France, they were joined by significantly less peaceful elements with a different profile,“ political scientist Pascal Perignaud told Agence France-Presse.
Among the participants in the violence are schoolchildren and university students who may have been “radicalized“ by imitating aggressive leaders. There are also young people belonging to “revolutionary political movements“ or to the so-called “black blocs“ - groups that “preach chaos in the streets“ and are accustomed to clashing with the police.
Alongside them, there are also “youth from the neighborhoods who indulge in predatory violence“. They get what they want from the stores they break into, the expert says.
Among these young people "there are also French people of immigrant origin", who are often seen in riots, such as those after the death of Nael, Perigny points out. He was referring to the 17-year-old shot dead by a police officer in 2023 during a traffic stop in a suburb of Paris. The incident sparked a wave of riots in urban neighborhoods across the country. The youth attacked symbols of the French Republic - schools, town halls and representatives. Subsequently, the riots then quickly escalated into mass looting of stores.
Before that, in 2018-2019, the "Yellow Vests" movement also led to numerous destructions and robberies, especially in wealthy neighborhoods of Paris. It involved many demonstrators from suburban and rural areas, and the current protests are often compared to this wave of discontent.
The repeated outbreaks of violence are indicative of a country that is “deeply divided and in a climate of rebellion“, believes Perignaud. According to him, the presidential campaign will be “extremely turbulent“.
According to historian Stephane Sirot, a specialist in social movements, there is now “an accumulation of anger that has been simmering for years - over the rising cost of living, difficulties in public services, climate problems and other factors“.
The episodes of violence, looting and vandalism “illustrate the problems of a society that is becoming increasingly polarized“, says Sirot.
Translated from French: Gabriela Golemanska
Source: www.bta.bg