The French Republic is defenceless

On Friday evening on 16 October, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron attended a Céline Dion concert in Paris. While the Macrons were dancing, the rest of the country was bracing for what was to come. On 17 October, the world saw France descend into chaos: rioters, looters and the black bloc took to the streets of Paris and other major French cities, burning buildings, sacking shops and desecrating monuments.

There have now been weeks of unrest in France. Throughout it all, Palestinian and Algerian flags have been waved all over the country. Some demonstrators have shouted slogans such as, ‘That’s for Palestine!’ and ‘Globalise the Intifada!’. Even Greta Thunberg has been on the scene, attending a school protest earlier this month wearing a keffiyeh.

In a strange sense, this is a huge success for Macron. After all, he decided to recognise a Palestinian state last year, unaware that Paris would become its capital.

Compared with what may come in the near future, what France experienced last weekend may seem mild. Demonstrations have been announced for this weekend and, on 20 November, youth organisations from 12 European countries are calling for protests and strikes across Europe. They may not yet have succeeded in globalising the Intifada, but they are certainly Europeanising it.

What happened last weekend was a violent insurrection, a civil war in which only one side was attacking. For many years, the French police have not been authorised to properly defend themselves. Restrictions have been imposed on police officers for fear of a George Floyd-type incident. The rioters are well aware of this and are eager to take advantage. Mercifully, there have been no fatal confrontations linked to the riots, but this ‘miracle’ may not last long, as demonstrations will continue, at least until the presidential elections in six months’ time.

It’s no wonder the police were overwhelmed on Saturday. Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu has since admitted that the police response failed. Interior minister Laurent Nuñez conceded that the authorities had ‘lost control’ in some cities.

Confronted with the state’s impotence (which is efficient only when it comes to collecting taxes), ordinary people are fed up. Some French people are considering defending themselves, even though it is illegal to carry a weapon. The Paris police have advised businesses to employ private security ahead of upcoming demonstrations. Meanwhile, the government is busy restricting the freedoms of law-abiding citizens in order to avoid punishing the guilty: imposing curfews and increasing surveillance of social networks to anticipate thug violence.

After last weekend’s insurrection, fewer than 200 people slept in jail – one third of whom were foreign nationals, many others had foreign origins and some were even illegal immigrants. None of those appearing in court was given anything close to the maximum sentence for their crimes. The justice system goes easy on thugs and looters due to overcrowded prisons and the predominantly leftist ideology of most French judges.

In a similar vein, far-left and even moderate left-wing politicians have blamed the violence on the police and tried to justify the behaviour of the rioters. Meanwhile, the mainstream media have downplayed both the migrant background of the rioters and any Islamist element to the protests. However, the truth could not be hidden thanks to social networks, where videos of the riots were circulated.

When the next round of ‘demonstrations’ comes, the police will be supported by some elite units of the French army, which are typically deployed in situations involving a high terrorist threat. Will this act as a deterrent, or will it incite the rioters further? What will it take for the state to truly defend itself and its people? Will we have to wait for hostage-takings or massacres like the one on October 7 or the Bataclan attack?

Two days after the riots, Macron jetted off to the Gulf countries, where he went to beg for diesel. Perhaps he was also preparing for his transition to a high-paying speaking career. In response to criticism from abroad, he has called comments by foreign leaders – Trump among them – ‘as unacceptable as they are stupid’. He has even blamed AI-generated images and foreign influence for painting an overly bleak picture, insinuating that they originated from the US. The denialism feels wilful at this stage.

With his head planted firmly in the sand, the last six months of Macron’s presidency are going to be very long indeed.

Philippe Karsenty is a businessman, spokesperson for the French Trump Committee and a former deputy mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine in Paris.