'Shame', 'anger', 'chaos': Papers react to polarising riots in France

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, October 19: French and international papers discuss the anti-government protests that turned violent at the weekend and their aftermath across France. 

Many French papers are using the word "chaos" to describe the protests over the weekend. Le Parisien writes: "After the chaos, the anger". It says that on Sunday France woke up to destruction following the protests. The headline of left-wing paper Libération reads "Questioning chaos". Libération says that due to an inadequate law enforcement strategy that failed to anticipate the widespread vandalism and looting, the protests spiralled out of control, although hundreds of thousands of people were attempting to march peacefully. The headline of right-wing paper Le Figaro reads "Shame and anger". The paper says that all across France "unprecedented scenes of violence" took place, which are causing consternation.

The headline of the Communist paper L'Humanité reads "Social explosion". The paper says that the day of protests was ruined by violence and vandalism, as well as by widespread police crackdowns on demonstrators. Catholic paper La Croix asks "How did we get here?" It says that the riots and looting are fuelling fears of widespread unrest, against a backdrop of social anger. L'Opinion asks: "Who benefits from the chaos?" The paper tries to summarise what happened: Public order has broken down. The prime minister is responding solely on a political level. The president is calling for calm. Far-left presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon continues to stir up conflict, while far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is seeking to capitalise on both fronts: public order and social issues.

International papers are also reacting. German newspaper Der Spiegel asks "Is France descending into chaos and crisis?" Politically, this unrest is going to further polarise France, according to the paper. One woman is likely to benefit, it says: the far-right presidential frontrunner, Marine Le Pen. Le Pen and her National Rally party are skilfully presenting themselves as the guarantors of public order. This time, the right wing has refrained from actively supporting the movement, as it did in 2018 with the Yellow Vests, even though it expresses sympathy for the peaceful demonstrators; after all, many of their voters are among them. The headline of Spanish paper El País says "France sets Macronism ablaze". The paper calls President Emmanuel Macron's second term "out of touch with society" – but there are still six long months to go until the next presidential elections, during which the country must pass a budget and find answers to the unstoppable rise of the far right. 

The New York Times says there's "shock and recrimination", a day after the "huge riots". The paper says that during his speech, Macron "offered no concrete concessions". It reminds us that government officials and far-right leaders accuse the far left of stirring up the unrest. The left wing, meanwhile, blames the government for budget decisions and policies they said have spurred public anger. British paper The Times says that Paris was "divided by protests". Many are pointing the fingers at those who rioted and looted, saying the level of violence was worse than during the Yellow Vest protests in 2018. Others say that police repression pushed people to become increasingly violent. A 20-year-old art student told The Times: "Instead of listening to us, the government sends in the police to attack us". "We no longer live in a democracy" is the headline in the independent Russian paper Novaya Gazeta. It's a quote from one of the protesters who spoke to the paper. She says that "the Republic has been shaken to its core – we no longer live in a democracy where we can assemble," adding that "the police are seizing power through violence". 

You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.