French Protests Continue; Trump Blames Migration, Islam for Unrest

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that students and young people have genuine concerns while defending the police response to ongoing demonstrations.

The French government banned the use of stun grenades during student protests on Wednesday after a 15-year-old reportedly lost a hand from picking one up. Police across France face accusations of heavy-handedness, including firing tear gas directly at protesters. Former President Donald Trump blamed the violent rioting in France on Islam and out of control mass migration in a Truth Social post on Tuesday.

Trump wrote that the unrest is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country! French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot responded, stating, "If we do not write our own story, others will write it for us," and accused rivals, adversaries, and partners of attempting to interpret the rioting in a self-serving manner. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz also attributed the rioting to immigration.

The student demonstrations have spread across France in recent weeks, with comparisons drawn to the events of May and June 1968. The unrest began in September as a demonstration at the poor quality of high school buildings in the Parisian suburbs, specifically Saint-Denis. Students complain about missed days of teaching in underprivileged areas, appalling insulation of school buildings, and the complexity of the post-school training and education application platform.

On Tuesday, France experienced its largest day of demonstrations since the movement began in mid-September. The Interior Ministry reported 266,000 people took to the streets across the country, with 56,000 joining the march in Paris. Organizers put the attendance at 450,000. French authorities arrested 488 people nationwide on Tuesday. The Ministry of Justice reported over 5,000 arrests in the rioting, with 87% of arrestees being minors.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray reported at least 24 schools were ransacked or set on fire. Mr. Lecornu told lawmakers that 215 students and 85 school staff members had been injured. Teachers, parents, and rights groups accuse police of excessive force, with around 215 students injured over the past three weeks.