It's been a week that’s seen mass protests hijacked by violent rioters across France. The looting of shops, trashing of public buildings, the burning of Lyon’s Tourist Information and the iconic Limoges City Hall.  After the riots, came the curfews, and the contemplation, who did what and why weren’t they stopped. Seditious groups, ultra left anarchists and opportunist criminals said President Macron, with a qualified mea culpa: failures in anticipation and authorities dropped the ball in intelligence gathering. Macron is out of breath,  exhausted and disorientated claimed the Presidential Frontrunner Marine Le Pen, the far right leader now polling in an even stronger position for the Presidency. Foreign leaders had a free for all too, President Trump wading in and Israel’s prime minister settled old scores ahead of elections there. But France wasn’t isolated in its protests and unrest, Milan was a mirror image, with demonstrations in Spain, Portugal, Belgium too, An Autumn of Discontent, and more protests to follow this weekend:

As Israel approaches a consequential parliamentary election amid renewed violence in the occupied West Bank, Yedioth Ahronoth Senior Journalist Ben-Dror Yemini offers a critical assessment of Benjamin Netanyahu's political prospects, the limits of military escalation and the shifting relationship between national security and electoral legitimacy. Since October 7, 2023 "Netanyahu is not popular anymore," Yemini argues, identifying the Hamas-led attacks as a decisive turning point in the Israeli prime minister's public standing.

How much damage has the unrest in France caused to a protest movement rooted in genuine grievances but hijacked by rioters, violence and vandalism? Is it a gift to Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader and presidential frontrunner? Or is it a spectre of trouble to come in a deeply polarised society, amid an increasingly poisonous political atmosphere? FRANCE 24’s Gavin Lee speaks to French analyst Renaud Foucart, a senior lecturer in economics at Lancaster University.

In India, the Cockroach movement felt the crushing boot of the state this week. Thousands of Gen Z protesters were rounded up and detained in sports stadiums and community halls turned into makeshift detention centres, while the movement’s founder, Abhijeet Dipke, was arrested on arrival. A mass demonstration over alleged voter fraud was effectively crushed before it could begin.And Abdijeet has been detained again todayNarendra Modi’s government says the measures were necessary to protect civilians in the capital. But he now faces accusations of choosing repression over democracy, with the UN Human Rights Office urging authorities to respect the right to peaceful assembly.    It’s been a week of blame games and accusations of betrayal in Ukraine with President Zelensky speaking of his personal hurt at President Trump’s decision to make a diesel deal with the Kremlin ahead of the US Mid term elections calling it “weak”, suggesting Trump had chosen, “the other side”. Trump meanwhile made clear he wants Zelensky replaced, and warned him against striking Russian refineries AND announced an energy ceasefire, declaring it to have been agreed by both sides but which went nowhere. President Zelensky continued to search for solidarity and a solution in Europe.   It’s been a week of blame games and accusations of betrayal in Ukraine with President Zelensky speaking of his personal hurt at President Trump’s decision to make a diesel deal with the Kremlin ahead of the US Mid term elections calling it “weak”, suggesting Trump had chosen, “the other side”. Trump meanwhile made clear he wants Zelensky replaced, and warned him against striking Russian refineries AND announced an energy ceasefire, declaring it to have been agreed by both sides but which went nowhere. President Zelensky continued to search for solidarity and a solution in Europe.    Gavin Lee is joined this week by Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, John Sweeney, Victor Mallet and Suhasini Raj.

As transatlantic relations confront renewed geopolitical uncertainty, former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves delivers a pointed assessment of Washington's shifting approach to Russia's war on Ukraine and the profound implications for European security. At the heart of his analysis lies a fundamental question: can Europe develop the political unity, strategic independence and military capabilities necessary to defend its interests in an increasingly unpredictable international order?  Ilves response: "If there's any time for Europe to begin to act as Europe and not as being strictly self-interested, then this is the time for it."

FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee speaks to Brazil analyst Henrique Tavares Furtado about how far-right presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro is pledging to reshape the country, and asks: who is the man behind the political persona?