Liberty, equality, impunity: France ignored the warnings. Now it’s paying for it - opinion

France experienced nationwide riots on October 17, 2026, as a cost-of-living protest turned violent, with over 3,000 businesses damaged. An opinion piece argues the violence resulted from years of ignored warnings about normalized extremism and political impunity, citing an Islamist activist's call for intifada and far-left politicians' support.

France experienced widespread riots on Saturday, October 17, 2026, as a nationwide mobilization against the rising cost of living turned violent in several cities, with streets ransacked, businesses plundered, and buildings and cars set ablaze. Over 3,000 businesses were hit. The opinion piece argues that the violence reflects years of ignored warnings about the normalization of violence, radicalization of rhetoric, and erosion of authority. It cites the case of Elias d'Imzalène, an Islamist activist who called for an intifada in Paris in September 2024 and received a five-month suspended sentence in December 2024. The article criticizes far-left politicians from La France Insoumise for supporting d'Imzalène and normalizing radical rhetoric, and President Emmanuel Macron for attributing the violence to ultra-left groups and delinquents without addressing underlying failures. The author, a French woman living in Israel, draws parallels to French Jewish experiences of insecurity and argues that the state's failure to protect its citizens reflects a broader pattern of impunity.