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Spots are limited, so act fast. Let us join together for this appointment with sustainability! [Click to register] [Related reading] Demonstrations have erupted in multiple European countries, with more than 2,000 people arrested in France. France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium... outbreaks have been concentrated. Rising living costs are adding to the burden, and the social development model is under pressure. The riots highlight the deep governance predicament in France. The "Yellow Vest" movement that erupted in 2018 once shocked the world and caused enormous damage to French society. Eight years later, on October 17, a similar scene unfolded again: large-scale protests broke out that day in major French cities, with 550,000 people (organizers claimed 800,000) taking to the streets to express dissatisfaction over the soaring cost of living, lack of educational resources, and deteriorating public services. Some protests turned into violent clashes, shops were looted, and the 143-year-old city hall in Limoges was burned down. French President Macron vowed to severely punish the perpetrators, and police have arrested more than 2,000 people. International public opinion analysis suggests that the continuous demonstrations have become a symbol of the long-accumulated discontent of the French people, and the "Yellow Vest" movement that plunged the Macron government into trouble eight years ago may fully reignite. Researchers told the Global Times that France has long maintained a relatively high level of social welfare, but in recent years weak economic growth and growing public debt and fiscal pressure have left the government with more constraints in guaranteeing public services and responding to social demands. The recent protests reflect to a certain extent a crisis of trust among the French people toward political elites and the government's governance capacity.
"We Have Never Seen Violence and Riots on This Scale"
The demonstrations initially stemmed from calls on social media and were later joined by student organizations that had been protesting for about a month demanding improved teaching conditions. By the 17th, the protests had rapidly evolved into a highly complex general social mobilization—from students seeking rights, veteran "Yellow Vests" returning to the streets, and union representatives, to radical destroyers mixed into the crowds. Le Monde said that peaceful demonstrators marched alongside independent groups actively seeking confrontation, and in some places looters also appeared. The mobilization created momentum, but did not form unified coordination.
"Tonight, our city hall was engulfed in flames. Like each of you, I watched in horror as a place belonging to all the people of Limoges was reduced to ashes," the municipal government account of Limoges, a small city in south-central France, posted on social media on the evening of the 17th. According to local media reports, rioters broke into the 143-year-old Limoges city hall building at around 6 p.m. that day and set it on fire. The 43-meter-high bell tower collapsed, and the building was "basically destroyed," amounting to a "disaster for historical heritage." Similar riots occurred elsewhere in France. According to Reuters, in Marseille, protesters dressed in black broke into the city hall and defaced the government building with anarchist graffiti. In Lyon, protesters burned down the historic tourism office building. Lyon Mayor Doucet said, "The chaos that ravaged this city within a few hours is outrageous"; the prefect of the Rhone department, Etienne Guyot, said: "We have never seen violence and riots on this scale." In the capital, Paris, rioters looted shops on a large scale, and police fired tear gas and high-pressure water cannons to disperse the crowds and arrested a "record" 855 people. According to the French Retail and Trade Federation, about 1,500 businesses were damaged during the protests, with losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros. The New York Post said that in Bordeaux, looters smashed the windows of stores including Apple, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes. French media said many shops in downtown Marseille were also looted, including a Hermes boutique. "It feels like we fought a war," a 78-year-old Paris resident told AFP beside street barricades left by the protests. Paris Deputy Mayor Arager said: "The level of violence the capital experienced is something we have never seen." It should be noted that much of the shocking destruction during the protests came largely from radical elements mixed into the crowds. According to France's TF1 television, a large number of black-clad, masked "Black Bloc" groups and opportunistic looters became the main drivers of violence and urban destruction. The "Black Bloc," mainly composed of far-left and anarchist elements, did not destroy randomly but precisely targeted banks, luxury stores, and state institutions, while opportunistic looters took advantage of stretched police resources to smash stores and rob them. "Our republic cannot tolerate violence. Those who destroy, attack prefectural governments and businesses, and even loot city halls will be prosecuted and punished," Macron said.
French Political Factions Shift Blame
This event, described as "France's largest nationwide riot in recent years," has drawn global attention. AFP said political recriminations came one after another, with government officials and far-right leader Marine Le Pen pointing the finger at the far-left party "La France Insoumise" and its leader Melenchon, who recently joined the protests. French Prime Minister Lecornu specifically criticized "far-left" forces for inciting riots and seeking political gain ahead of next year's election. Le Pen said the far left, by legitimizing violence, treating order as oppression, and treating chaos as a right, is trying to drag the country into chaos. Melenchon hit back, saying the protests were generally peaceful and that the government's incompetence should be blamed for the chaos. U.S. President Trump blamed France's riots on immigration. "France is burning! Immigrants from a completely different world, those filled with hatred in their hearts, have destroyed this once great country," Trump posted on social media. This view won support from some right-wing figures in France, but analysis by AFP and others suggests the remarks were more about promoting the United States' own political agenda. In this demonstration, the return of the "Yellow Vests" attracted particular attention and was seen in advance as a signal of escalation. In the autumn of 2018, online calls in French society against rising oil prices and higher fuel taxes developed into a nationwide movement, with protesters forcing the government to respond to their demands by occupying traffic roundabouts and marching on consecutive weekends. At the end of that year, the Macron government temporarily calmed the anger of the "Yellow Vests" through measures such as withdrawing the fuel tax. However, several years later, after geopolitical conflicts, the global energy crisis, and persistently high inflation, the relief dividends of that government have been completely offset by rising prices. Dong Yifan, associate researcher at the Institute for Country and Regional Studies at Beijing Language and Culture University, told the Global Times that compared with the period of the "Yellow Vest" movement, France's current economic and livelihood situation is even more difficult. In recent years, the French government's reforms have mostly remained at the level of "minor patchwork," and the root problem lies in fiscal strain, making it difficult for the government to increase investment in livelihood issues of public concern. BBC analysis said that amid social unrest in France in recent years, government borrowing costs are astonishingly high, parliament is severely divided, and prime ministers change frequently—six prime ministers in the past five years, all of whom said they wanted to reduce the country's public debt. In Europe, France is not the only country where protests have erupted over the cost-of-living crisis. On the 17th, demonstrations also appeared in European countries such as Portugal, Italy, and Belgium, with different emphases in their demands, but all reflecting the contradiction between heavier living burdens, insufficient public guarantees, and public expectations.
Why France Again?
Why are France's protests particularly intense? Many analyses suggest that street protest has a deep tradition in French political life. From the French Revolution to the "May Storm" of 1968, collective struggle left a profound historical memory. In reality, protests have also led to policy concessions, making taking to the streets be seen by many as an effective way to participate. BBC also said: The French are famous in Europe for their enthusiasm for protests. At the same time, distrust of the government has weakened room for negotiation. A 2025 poll showed that 23% of French respondents expressed trust in the government, lower than 38% in Germany and 35% in Italy. Under fiscal constraints, the French government also finds it harder to respond to public demands. People demand improved education and public services, but the French government, deeply burdened by high debt, is under simultaneous pressure to control debt and deficits. Increasing investment requires funds, cutting spending may intensify dissatisfaction, and raising taxes is likewise opposed. When living pressure, fiscal difficulties, and lack of trust overlap, public discontent accumulates ever more deeply. Chen Hong, director of the Institute for Country and Regional Studies at the School of Foreign Languages of East China Normal University, told the Global Times that behind France's social protests is structural pressure on its economic and social development model. The core dilemma facing the French government is the contradiction between limited fiscal capacity and high social expectations, as well as the political trust problem arising from it. The challenges currently facing France are not unique to Europe, but its political culture and social structure make these contradictions more pronounced. As Macron's presidential term ends next year and the center weakens in French politics, France's political landscape faces new adjustments. Chen Hong believes that an important test in the next French presidential election is not only who can win power, but also who can propose practical and feasible reform plans, respond to social discontent, and rebuild public trust in the political system. If political forces of all factions merely use social contradictions to win votes and cannot effectively respond to and resolve deeper problems, France's political polarization and trust crisis will continue.
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