US President Donald Trump has mocked the violent unrest that has spread across France. With protests against the rising cost of living turning violent, clashes between police and protesters, and widespread looting and arson, he sneered that France seemed a fine place for a revolution. Joking about the situation, Trump said: “Shall we go to France? It’s a wonderful place. No riots, no revolution. You know, France seems like a great place for a revolution. It’s incredible. Let’s go to France and join the revolution.” The news agency AFP reported his remarks.
On Sunday morning, streets in several French cities showed widespread destruction after major nationwide protests turned violent. The unrest follows weeks of student protests, and comes just six months before the election of a successor to President Emmanuel Macron.
US Vice-President JD Vance also commented on the violence in France. Blaming immigration, he said France and other Western countries had failed to properly address the questions of integrating immigrants into society and of cultural compatibility.
In a post on X, Vance wrote that in the name of diversity and compassion, Western liberals had brought people from the third world into France and other countries while ignoring the basic questions of integration and compatibility. He also wrote that they had been warned this would happen but did not listen. “I pray that France, a beautiful country of extraordinary people, ends this madness before more historic buildings burn. I hope Americans learn from this too. This is the future Democrats in Congress want for your country,” he wrote.
Major protests were held across France on Saturday. Nationwide marches against soaring inflation eventually turned into street violence, widespread looting and arson, and protesters clashed with police. The violence broke out alongside cost-of-living marches in Paris and other cities.
According to the interior ministry, 550,000 people took part in the protests. The CGT trade union, which joined the protests, put the number at 800,000. Police used tear gas and water cannon after protesters threw objects and fireworks at them. Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said entire streets in the city had been “destroyed”. Groups of masked young people set fire to parked cars and looted shops.
In the city of Limoges, masked protesters entered a town hall and set it on fire. The region’s top official said a large part of the building, more than 140 years old, was destroyed. Two other town halls, in Marseille and Lille, were attacked and vandalised. A police building in Bordeaux was also vandalised, and in Lyon protesters set fire to a tourist office.
President Emmanuel Macron warned that those involved in the violence, vandalism and looting would face punishment. “Those who vandalised, attacked public offices or businesses, or looted, even those who did this in our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished,” he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report