France Under Fire: Protests, Economic Crisis and Trump's Interference

Translated by Caterina Stella

The Facts

France has been in turmoil for a month following demonstrations and protests.

The protest movement began in the education system, with demonstrations against cuts to education spending, but it has grown in recent weeks to include other social groups and a wider range of grievances: economic crisis, soaring fuel prices, inflation, and declining purchasing power.

Demonstrations have taken place in France’s major cities: Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Nantes and Marseille, among many others. Last Saturday, according to organizers, around 800,000 people took to the streets.

However, the headlines have focused primarily on the damage, arrests and injuries resulting from clashes between violent factions and the police.

All the elements of a protest that has spiralled into urban warfare are there: tear gas, barricades, smashed shop windows and fires in historic city centres, particularly in Paris, Lille and Marseille.

The defining image of Saturday’s protests was the yellow vest placed on the statue of Marianne, the symbol of France standing in Place de la République in Paris.

What’s New

France is no stranger to protests and upheaval throughout its republican history – after all, it is the country that gave rise to the French Revolution of 1789. However, the reasons behind the current unrest are both topical and structural; but there are also new external factors that fall outside the dynamics of French politics.

1. The Economic Crisis

The fuel-price crisis, soaring inflation and the effects of ongoing wars have had an immediate impact on the financial front and the sustainability of public finances. As a result, France’s public debt has surged to 119% of GDP in 2026, far above the European limit for the public debt-to-GDP ratio of 60%. Borrowing costs are approaching 5%, exceeding those of Italian government bonds, while the deficit-to-GDP ratio has reached 5.4%, against the 3% limit set by Brussels.

All this points to a reality that the current government, as well as the one that will emerge from the 2027 elections, must urgently confront: the French welfare state, one of the most complex and costly in Europe, needs to be rethought. This must be done without undermining or altering citizens’ well-being, given their right to receive public services in return for the taxes they pay. Easier said than done: changing the structure of a welfare state built over more than 70 years, with the state playing a dominant role in numerous economic sectors, is no easy task. Spending cuts, however, are already looming over the next budget bill, which envisages severe cuts to public services.

2. The 2027 Elections

There is no doubt that the pre-election climate ahead of the 2027 presidential election is among the factors fuelling the protests. For demonstrators, the goal is to bring about a change to France’s current political system, which has become extremely fragile over the last four years, with governments falling like autumn leaves. Polarization between the radical right and radical left dominates the political landscape and fuels the political debate.

The Lecornu government’s response has been a weak accusation of irresponsibility directed at radical political forces. This is little compared to the breakdown of public order during the demonstrations.

Conversely, radical parties are seeking to capitalise on the protests: Mélenchon’s left is leading the non-violent demonstrations, while the right-wing Rassemblement National is calling for the restoration of the rule of law and a tough crackdown on violence.

3. The Trump Factor

“France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your borders and take control, before it is too late!”

It is highly unusual for a US president to comment on and inflame tensions and, above all, to appear to be championing the very issues being used by the opposition against the incumber government, with which he will nevertheless have to deal until March 2027.

This appears to be a major boost for Marine Le Pen’s party as it prepares for the 2027 presidential election. Certainly, it is more explicit than Russia’s more cryptic interference.

Beyond France

Social unrest is also spreading across Spain and Italy, countries that, alongside France, will be heading to the polls in the coming months.

Inflation, economic and social crises, and climate change will also have an impact on common European policies. The debate over the next EU budget for 2028-2034, currently under discussion, reflects the upheavals currently taking place.

Read more about the 2028-2034 EU budget

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