French Riots Spread Across Cities as Macron Leaves With 18% Approval
Updated
Updated · The American Prospect · Oct 21
French Riots Spread Across Cities as Macron Leaves With 18% Approval
3 articles · Updated · The American Prospect · Oct 21
Summary
Major French cities were still smoldering as riots and protests spread beyond student unrest, exposing wider public anger at schools, living standards and shrinking prospects.
High school students in the banlieues helped ignite the violence, but the report says the deeper driver is a failing economic model that has widened inequality while the welfare state loses capacity to cushion it.
Macron, with approval near 18%, left Paris for the Middle East as his government pushes a proposed 43 billion euro budget squeeze that includes a higher retirement age and cuts to health and social spending.
France's 10-year bond yield hitting 5% has added fiscal pressure, while the unrest is feeding political extremes ahead of the April 2027 presidential election.
Polls put Marine Le Pen at 36%, far ahead of Jean-Luc Mélenchon at 16.5% and Raphaël Glucksmann at 13.5%, underscoring the collapse of France's political center.