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French soccer icon Emmanuel Petit condemns arson and looting, warns Macron to 'protect honest citizens'

20 October 2026 at 01:43

French soccer legend Emmanuel Petit ripped into the violent rioters wrecking cities across France, telling the lawless agitators who hate the country to "go back from where you came."

The 1998 World Cup winner fired up Instagram Sunday to vent his "profound deep anger" after protests turned into total madness with torched cars, looted stores, and trashed streets. More than 2,400 rioters have already been locked up nationwide, Fox News Digital reported.

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What started as protests over school policy and living costs quickly turned into complete street warfare over the weekend. Masked mobs smashed up store windows and set cars on fire, forcing riot police to unload tear gas in Paris and Marseille while French President Emmanuel Macron admitted he felt "both anger and shame."

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The ex-Arsenal star didn't dance around it, unleashing on the lawless mobs tearing through neighborhoods.

"It's thugs because their cowardice is what unites them," he blasted. "They destroy everything, they burn everything, they break everything, they plunder, they steal, they hurt, they aggress, they insult."

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He contrasted the criminal mobs on the streets with honest, hard-working taxpayers who are fed up with runaway inflation and crushing government policies.

"You shouldn't mix up the people who manifested yesterday, and I understand them strongly because I too am more than fed up of being pressed like a lemon on a fiscal plan," Petit said, defending working-class families who rise early, pay taxes, and follow the law while being abandoned by the state.

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Petit laid down the law on immigration, welcoming foreigners who respect France while telling agitators who hate the nation that nobody wants them around.

"I love my country, I love all foreigners who love my country and who want to integrate," Petit said.

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"But all the others, starting with the French who do not wish precisely that France continues to be what it is, go back from where you came, we don't need you," he warned.

Petit went even further, directly targeting homegrown radicals and native-born rioters taking part in the violence: "And all those who were born with a French passport, break yourselves [get lost], we don't want you anymore."

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The soccer star didn't let Macron off the hook either, putting France's political elite on blast and demanding they actually do their jobs to protect law-abiding citizens.

"I'm addressing the political class, starting with our dear president, Mr. Macron, and all the political classes," Petit said. "To all these people, I have a message to give you: be very careful about what you are going to do, what you are going to say, and how you are going to protect the honest citizens in France."

FRANCE'S MASSIVE INTEL FAILURE SPARKS RESIGNATION OFFERS AMID DAYS OF RIOTING

Petit concluded by slamming a failed government apparatus that taxes citizens into oblivion while starving law enforcement and essential services.

"Because today, there's no money for the police, there's no money for the army, there's no money for the hospitals, there's no money for the schools," Petit said. "Bizarrely, the only thing that works in France, is taxes."

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LISTEN: Kansas soccer field dispatch call captures mass-casualty response after driver kills boy, man

20 October 2026 at 00:42

FIRST ON FOX: New dispatch audio from the day a driver allegedly plowed into children and spectators at a Kansas soccer field reveals the moments first responders rushed to the scene on Saturday.

In the call, dispatchers can be heard labeling the horrific incident as an "MCI" or mass-casualty incident. It happened at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.

Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, were killed. Both victims were from McPherson.

CHILD AMONG 2 KILLED AFTER VEHICLE DRIVES ONTO SOCCER FIELD AT KANSAS SPORTS COMPLEX

In addition to the deaths, 10 more, including five children, were injured.

The 34-year-old woman who was behind the wheel was released with no charges, police said.

DRIVER RELEASED WITHOUT CHARGES AFTER PICKUP KILLS BOY, 6, AND MAN ON KANSAS SOCCER FIELD

Why was the driver released?

Police have not revealed if there are going to be any criminal charges forthcoming against the driver, who was initially taken into custody.

They said Sunday that the driver was released pending toxicology results and an examination of her Chevrolet pickup.

She had two of her children inside the pickup. One of her children was playing soccer on a different field at the complex.

Investigators interviewed the driver and more than 30 witnesses, including the two children who were in the pickup at the time of the crash. Police consulted with the Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office before releasing her.

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A 30-minute log of dispatch communications outlines the response to Saturday's incident:

  • First responders reported at least 11 patients at the scene, including two described as "working blues," indicating serious medical emergencies.
  • A responder reported nine patients, including "two code blacks" and "two code blues," while the remaining victims were still being triaged.
  • Emergency personnel classified the incident as a Level 3 "MCI", describing it as "a motor vehicle accident into a bunch of pedestrians."
  • Dispatch audio referenced a 5-year-old victim who suffered multi-system trauma after being struck by a vehicle. The child was reported to have a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15, indicating full responsiveness at the time of assessment.
  • More than 30 minutes into the recording, a responder reported, "There’s another victim in the middle of the field." The audio does not establish whether the victim had just been discovered.

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WATCH: Two killed, including 6-year-old boy, after truck plows through Kansas youth soccer game

On Monday, the City of Wichita confirmed its public works division "will be installing temporary barriers at key locations around the Stryker Sports Complex until more permanent solutions can be implemented."

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The city also confirmed it would assess security around the complex and police would "be present at the facility" this coming weekend – along with local mental health professionals to assist families in the wake of the tragedy.

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McPherson Mayor Jim Loving said in a statement in part:

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"There is nothing I can say that makes that right. To the families who lost someone: this whole town is grieving with you, and we will stand with you for as long as it takes. To the injured and their families: we are praying for your recovery. Thank you to the bystanders who stepped in before the first ambulance arrived, and to the first responders in Wichita and here at home."

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In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Wichita Police said, "This is an active and ongoing investigation, and I would refer you to our media release. When we have any new updates to share, we will provide them."

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Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

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