PARIS, France: Paris is burning. Yet again. But this time, according to officials and analysts, it’s different. And unrest here could have a lasting impact on France… perhaps the world.
I have been covering protests in France for decades. I lived in Paris for nine years. I know that the French are very skilled at taking politics to the street. The recent upheaval has many worried.
From all the people I hear from on the ground here, the rioting has been more violent, more destructive, more profound. Domestic strife seemingly out of control.
When I approached the bar at a brasserie near Place de la Republique, the server asked if I was an American and a journalist. After replying yes to both he concluded, "So you’ve come to cover the civil war."
The numbers tell the tale. Some 2,500 arrests during the last weekend of clashes between protesters and police. Around 1,000 officers injured. Many hurt, some seriously, on the activists’ side. And about 3,000 businesses impacted, trashed, looted. Damage estimated over one billion dollars.
What was most striking were the attacks on official buildings. An historic city hall in Limoges. A police headquarters in crime-ridden Marseille. An important tourist office in Lyon. Symbols of a French government under siege.
The mostly peaceful protests supporting recent student concerns, as well as working and middle-class economic worries, hijacked by those bent on anarchy. And opportunistic young crooks looking for cheap thrills.
Yes, there are immigrants and foreigners amid the rabble. Plus, those said to have ties with so-called "ultra-left" groupings. But this remains a very French uprising. Which in a way makes it even more unsettling.
Nearly ten years of rule by President Emmanuel Macron has left this country more divided, with promises unfilled, anger near the surface. And violence a real danger.
What was also deeply troubling about the latest bout of violence — and authorities have admitted it — is that there were periods of time when parts of Paris and other cities were out of control. Shop owners were forced to fend for themselves.
All of this plum pickings for politicians on the left and right. Either sympathizing with protesters’ demands. Or calling for more law and order. Both sides slamming those in power. With presidential elections upcoming in six months, timing is everything.
With the French treasury bare, it seems the more pressing and more promising route for the current authorities is greater security.
That’s why top government officials have been speaking out about their planning for the next big protest set for this weekend. French Prime Minister Lecornu says it will be countered by a "massive police operation" backed by the military. Activists will have to choose, Lecornu went on to say, between "violence" and the French "republic."
"Do or die" talk that still does not address the underlying problems, not just facing France but other countries as well. That’s why, in addition to the curiosity factor of everyone being intrigued by France, it could also provide some real-time lessons on how or how not to deal with a brave new world of inequality and dwindling resources.
The political theater of "Chaos Inc." is preparing for a "rebellion...sweeping Europe."
Two days after an estimated 500,000 demonstrators poured into streets across France and clashes left parts of Paris and other cities burning, French activists are calling supporters back into the streets Saturday, Oct. 24, for a new protest billed as "Acte II," with 212 "mobilizations" currently planned, according to a digital map of the plans.
And a growing number of communist, socialist and hard-leftist organizations are answering another call for a coordinated European youth strike on Friday, Nov. 20.
A Fox News Digital investigation has now identified 101 organizations across 9 countries – including the U.S. – that are coordinating, organizing or amplifying protests in Europe in an expanding protest ecosystem, up from 54 organizations identified on Monday.
Most of the groups are adult-led, with just 33 organizations – or one in three – led by students or youth. They represent a nexus of the "red-green" alliance, merging Islamist organizations that are symbolized by the color green, and far-left, communist and socialist groups represented by the color red.
The network also include groups that proudly use the "Antifa" moniker, like "Action AntiFa16," an organization that describes itself in the Angoulême, France, Acte II announcement.
Across the Atlantic, leaders in the U.S. franchise of "Chaos Inc." are amplifying the protests. University of California at Berkeley academic Hatem Bazian, founder of anti-Israel Palestinian organizations including Students for Justice in Palestine and American Muslims for Palestine, shared videos from the protests.
Revealing the complex threads of the "red-green" alliance, Bazian drew connections between this year's Oct. 17 riots in Paris, explosions at the Al Alhi Hospital in Gaza on Oct. 17, 2023, and protests on Oct. 17, 1961, in Paris by Algerian demonstrators , which led to a bloody and deadly confrontation with police. Hamas officials blamed Israel for the hospital deaths, while Israel attributed the blast to a failed, errant rocket launched from within Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Bazian didn't respond to a request for comment.
The European unrest is also receiving sympathetic amplification from a network of pro-communist organizations, including BreakThrough News, CodePink and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, funded and supported by Neville Roy Singham, an American-born tech tycoon who lives in Shanghai and has expressed support for "new world order" of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On Tuesday afternoon, BreakThrough News is planning an online discussion with a headline that captures how the outlet is framing the unrest: "Europe's Youth Uprising."
"A rebellion is sweeping Europe," BreakThrough News declares.
"From student barricades in France, to Spain's housing encampments, to Albanians marching to save their coastline from Jared Kushner, Gen Z is rising up against austerity, soaring rents, and governments pouring money into weapons and war instead of their future," the outlet said.
BreakThrough News said protests had spread "from Paris and Madrid to Lisbon and Tirana" and announced that France-based journalist Rafael Karoubi would join hosts Rania Khalek and Zoe Alexandra to explain "what's driving the uprising."
In France, organizers are using the website 17octobregiletjaune.net to organize logistics, communication and people for their protests. The domain was registered on Sept. 15 by an anonymous user, according to online records. In the face of curfews and security measures against their protests by French President Emmanuel Macron, website organizers have a new demand: "Macron must leave and make way for the people!"
Leaders are coordinating their efforts in a Telegram messaging channel, where they are sharing logistical details and polished, ready-made graphics.
After "Acte II," they have planned another action on Oct. 31, "Acte III," featuring "yellow vests, demonstrations and roundabouts, all over France," and there are other actions planned on Nov. 5 and Nov. 14.
There are activities even listed for April 3, 2027, ("Noisy spring") and May 29, 2027, ("Day against agrochemistry"). The locations listed: "Everywhere in France."
For the Nov. 20 action, another set of far-left groups are promoting their "International Youth Strike" on a website, calling for coordinated "demonstrations," "walkouts," "assemblies," "actions," "blockades and occupations."
Their manifesto declares that "the exploitation of workers, climate breakdown and war are not failures of the system but the essence of capitalism." In a press release, it says the struggle against "militarisation, rearmament, austerity and imperialism" is inseparable from the economic system supporting it and calls for "radical system change."
The British organization "Socialist Students," which describes itself as building the student fightback for "socialist change," says it will participate in the Nov. 20 strike, "in coordination with 30 other European youth and student groups.
A Socialist Students appeal urges young people to join "a movement for socialist change," while another campaign statement declares: "Our fight for socialism is based on Marxism" and argues that "workers and young people must actively fight and organise."
Peuple RÉVOLTÉ – People in Revolt — PROTEST COLLECTIVE: Organization helping operate the "Acte II" platform.
Maintenant! – Now! — PROTEST MOVEMENT: Civic movement participating in the "Acte II" platform.
Indignons-nous, Bloquons tout – Let’s Get Indignant, Block Everything — DIRECT ACTION: Protest collective promoting "Acte II."
Coordination nationale lycéenne – National High School Students’ Coordination — STUDENT/YOUTH: New national high-school coordination calling students into the streets Oct. 24 for "Acte II."
Angoulême, France
NPA Charente – New Anticapitalist Party–Charente (NPA 16) — REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST: Local NPA chapter mobilizing for Acte II.
Action Antifasciste 16 — ANTIFASCIST: Collaborator on the Angoulême Acte II announcement.
Maison des Peuples et de la Paix – House of Peoples and Peace — ACTIVIST: Angoulême organization collaborating on the Acte II call.
Fanfare en lutte d'Angoulême – Angoulême Marching Band in Struggle — ACTIVIST: Local activist collective collaborating on Acte II.
Révolution Permanente Angoulême — Permanent Revolution–Angoulême – REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST: Local chapter of Révolution Permanente, collaborating on the Oct. 24 mobilization.
Organisation de Solidarité Trans (OST) Angoulême — Trans Solidarity Organization–Angoulême – ACTIVIST / SOLIDARITY: Local organization listed as an Acte II collaborator.
Caen, France
Caen Antifa Squad — ANTIFASCIST: Collaborator on an "ACTE II — 24 OCTOBRE" announcement.
Caen en Lutte — Caen in Struggle – PROTEST COLLECTIVE: Local organization collaborating on Acte II.
Solidarité Étudiante 14 — Student Solidarity 14 – STUDENT: Calvados student organization collaborating on the Oct. 24 mobilization.
NOV. 20 INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
Belgium (3)
Comac — MARXIST/SOCIALIST YOUTH: Belgian youth organization associated with the Workers' Party.
RedFox — SOCIALIST YOUTH: Belgian socialist youth organization.
Vrede — ANTI-WAR: Belgian organization publishing and promoting the International Youth Strike manifesto.
France (1)
Mouvement National Lycéen — STUDENT/YOUTH: French high-school organization identified in the European Nov. 20 coalition.
Germany (6)
Schulstreik gegen Wehrpflicht — STUDENT/"ANTI-CONSCRIPTION": German school-strike network mobilizing for Nov. 20.
Die Falken — SOCIALIST YOUTH: German socialist youth organization involved in the international organizing process.
Linksjugend ['solid] — SOCIALIST YOUTH: Youth organization associated with Die Linke.
DIE LINKE.SDS — SOCIALIST STUDENT: German socialist university organization.
CGIL — LABOR: Italian labor confederation whose Nov. 20 general strike converges with the student mobilization.
Spain (1)
Sindicato de Estudiantes — SOCIALIST STUDENT: Spanish student organization identified in the international network.
United Kingdom (9)
Counterfire — REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST / ANTI-WAR: Promoting the Nov. 20 international strike.
Left Unity — SOCIALIST: Promoting the wider European mobilization.
International Youth Strike — INTERNATIONAL YOUTH / ANTI-CAPITALIST COALITION: The coordinating coalition behind the Nov. 20 strike says student and youth organizations across Europe are organizing demonstrations, walkouts, assemblies, blockades and occupations. Its manifesto says exploitation, climate breakdown and war are the "essence of capitalism," calls NATO an instrument of "imperial interests" that "should be dissolved," and demands "radical system change."
North West Pensioners Association — ACTIVIST: Organizational supporter of the Nov. 20 actions.
Socialist Party — TROTSKYIST: Socialist party promoting the international strike.
Socialist Students — SOCIALIST STUDENT: British organizer advocating a "socialist future."
Universities and Colleges Union @ucunion — The largest trade union and professional association for academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers & academic-related staff in UK "Further Education" and "Higher Education."
Young Greens — YOUTH / GREEN: British youth organization identified among supporters.
Amplifiers (8)
CODEPINK — U.S. ANTI-WAR / ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION: The U.S. organization has explicitly connected the French protests to its own planned Washington mobilization. "From France to the United States, the message is clear," CODEPINK said, before promoting its Nov. 10-12 "Taxpayer Uprising" demanding that federal spending go toward education, healthcare and housing rather than the military.
Committee for a Workers' International (CWI) — TROTSKYIST / SOCIALIST: An international socialist organization whose national affiliates include Britain's Socialist Party and Ireland's Militant Left. Its international website is promoting the Nov. 20 youth walkout under the campaign slogan "Fight for our future not their wars."
International Socialist Alternative (ISA) — REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST: The international socialist organization says "Capitalism means war" and that it "wholeheartedly" supports the Nov. 20 strike. ISA says its members have helped organize Germany's anti-conscription school strikes and describes imperialism as the "highest stage of capitalism."
Party for Socialism and Liberation–Houston — MARXIST-LENINIST / U.S. CHAPTER: The Houston chapter of the U.S. Party for Socialism and Liberation is amplifying the French protest movement.
Progressive International — TRANSNATIONAL LEFT NETWORK: The international organization explicitly grouped the current protests in France, Spain, India and Albania in an Oct. 16 briefing and asked how the "new rebellions" could acquire organized political power. Most significantly, it said: "These are the forces that the Progressive International is working to support and connect."
Stop ReArm Europe — ANTI-WAR / ANTI-MILITARIZATION COALITION: A European coalition calling for demonstrations and actions around Nov. 20 under the slogan "Welfare, not Warfare." It says it supports students "refusing" militarization and calls on social movements, unions, civil-society groups, political organizations and parliamentarians to mobilize around the student strike.
teleSUR English — INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AMPLIFIER: The international media outlet amplified the French demonstrations with Oct. 17 coverage of clashes, fires and arrests in Paris, Lyon and other cities. This is evidence of international amplification.
World BEYOND War — INTERNATIONAL ANTI-WAR: A global organization that describes itself as a movement to "end war" and says it is part of the Stop ReArm Europe campaign. It is explicitly promoting the Nov. 20 International Youth Strike and urging supporters to "join this resistance."
FRANCE — ORIGINAL NETWORK (54)
Organisation communiste révolutionnaire — REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNIST: Communist organization involved in protests.
Parti communiste français — COMMUNIST: French Communist Party whose leaders and activists joined the demonstrations.
Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between Peoples (MRAP) — ANTIRACIST: Antiracism organization involved in the wider coalition.
SOS Racisme — ANTIRACIST: Antiracism organization involved in supporting the movement.
International amplifiers
BreakThrough News — SINGHAM NETWORK / MEDIA: New York-based nonprofit amplifying the French protests internationally.
Indian Alliance Paris — INTERNATIONAL / DIASPORA: France-based organization connecting French and Indian protest messaging. Partnered with the People's Forum in Manhattan.
For some French Jews, Saturday's unrest brought an unsettling warning: conceal outward signs of Jewish identity and avoid gathering outside synagogues.
One community member told Fox News Digital that some congregations had even canceled afternoon prayers on the Sabbath as demonstrations across France descended into violence.
Ahead of the protests on Saturday, he said, as a precaution, "Lots of synagogues sent out emails to their people saying, 'We're canceling Mincha on Shabbat afternoon. Please don't go out. It's going to be dangerous,'" Samuel Arrouas, a French Jewish community member who divides his time between Paris and Israel, told Fox News Digital.
Mincha is the Jewish afternoon prayer service. Arrouas, who returned to Israel before Saturday's protests, described his shock over the messages. "I'm 40 years old. First time I heard this," he said.
Arrouas said warnings also advised Jews against visibly wearing kippahs, traditional skullcaps, or tzitzit, ritual fringes worn by observant Jewish men. Worshipers were discouraged from lingering outside synagogues after services. "You go to prayers, and you immediately leave," he said.
Before leaving France, Arrouas said he encountered masked demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags near Paris Dauphine University.
"It's very scary," he said. "When you're Jewish and you pass in front of such a scene, the only thing you want to do is just get away."
The concerns emerged as approximately 550,000 people demonstrated across France on Oct. 17 against rising fuel prices, the cost of living and deteriorating public services, including schools. The demonstrations were masked rioters clashed with police, looted businesses and set fire to vehicles and buildings in Paris, Marseille and other cities. France's Interior Ministry reported approximately 2,400 arrests.
President Emmanuel Macron called for "calm and order" in a national address, warning against escalation. "We all feel anger and shame," he said, distinguishing protesters' "legitimate demands" from "those who destroyed, smashed and looted." He said "nothing justifies" the violence and pledged accountability. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation, which Macron refused.
Shannon Seban, the France-based executive director of European affairs at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, said the presence of Palestinian flags at demonstrations over domestic issues added to Jewish community concerns.
"We have seen Palestinian flags at demonstrations that were supposed to be about education and social demands. What does Gaza have to do with any of this?" Seban told Fox News Digital.
"This has nothing to do with legitimate student demands anymore. We are talking about organized violence, about people who are not coming to demonstrate but to destroy, to attack our police officers and to challenge the authority of the Republic," she said.
Seban linked the violence to rhetoric urging people to "globalize the intifada" and to antisemitic conspiracy theories circulating online.
"At the Combat Antisemitism Movement, we documented 1,384 antisemitic posts in just two days, including conspiracy theories accusing Jews and Israel of being behind the unrest," Seban said.
"The right to protest is fundamental in a democracy. But the right to protest is not the right to destroy," she added. "France and Europe must wake up. Before it is too late."
In Marseille, Bruno Benjamin, president of the Marseille-Provence branch of CRIF, the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, described the damage to local businesses and the anxiety facing the community.
"Several hundred shops were ransacked, vandalized and looted. The scale of the devastation is simply unbearable," Benjamin told Fox News Digital.
He said shopkeepers had seen years of work destroyed within hours, leaving some facing layoffs or temporary unemployment for employees.
"This is not just an attack on businesses. It is an attack on people's livelihood, their dignity, and the very fabric of our society," he said.
France's Jewish community security organization, SPCJ, cautioned against assuming that Jewish-owned property was targeted because of religion. In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, SPCJ said a break-in and vandalism at a synagogue in Paris's 19th arrondissement initially suggested burglary, although the motive remained undetermined. Jewish-owned businesses were among those damaged in Marseille, it said, without evidence they had been singled out for being Jewish.
The U.S. State Department's existing Level 2 travel advisory urges Americans to exercise increased caution in France because of terrorism and unrest. Fox News Digital reached out to the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment on the unrest and the safety of the Jewish community.
Benjamin said rising insecurity and antisemitism had left some French Jews considering whether to leave the country, while others remained determined to stay.
"We must relentlessly combat antisemitism, defend their right to live in safety and dignity and ensure that no Jew in France should ever have to choose between their personal security and their love for their country," he said. "Because being Jewish in France should never mean having to live in fear."
For Seban of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, it's evident where the blame lies: "Let me be very clear: La France Insoumise and the far left bear a political responsibility for fueling this climate of violence and confrontation."
As images of burning cars and historic buildings in France and Italy ricochet across Europe, leaders in Hungary and Poland are seizing the moment, not to address the unrest, but to redefine the migration debate.
Both Hungary and Poland have laid down markers on allowing migrants into their nations. Even to the point of being fined and sanctioned by the European Union courts for refusing to open their gates to unchecked immigration, in Hungary’s case under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while Poland faced sanctions in 2025.
Eurostat’s latest available figures show that in 2025 France had almost 10 million and Italy about 7 million foreign-born residents. Poland had roughly 1 million foreign-born residents, while Hungary had less than 700,000, with most born in other EU countries and in Poland’s case about half came from Ukraine.
Reacting to the violence, Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar posted on X that, "Europe can count on Hungary." He stated that, "In the face of this senseless destruction and unjustified violence, perhaps it is now clear to everyone why Hungary advocates the strictest possible approach to migration, and why we will not weaken our border protection or immigration policy under any pressure."
It is a sentiment echoed by Magyar’s Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk posted: "Poland will not repeat the mistakes of other European countries, nor will it pay for them," he wrote on Sunday night. "We are firmly defending the border against illegal migration, we have our own asylum policy (we do not accept applications), we deport those who break Polish law. On security issues, we will be relentless."
Sweden-based political scientist Daniel Schatz told Fox News Digital, "Burning buildings and looted shops in France and other countries are becoming political ammunition across Europe… Leaders pushing tougher immigration policies have a blunt message for voters at home: ‘This is what we intend to prevent.’ Images of chaos can carry more political weight than a hundred policy speeches."
According to the latest available crime statistics from Eurostat, the European Union’s official statistical office, in 2024 France reported 304,900 police-recorded offenses, among the highest totals in the EU. Italy reported 142,600, while Poland with 57,300 and Hungary’s 28,600 were among the lowest totals in Europe. This as Eurostat’s 2023 "perception metric," or what percentage of people report crime or vandalism in their areas, showed France was again among the highest with about 20%, Italy reported 14-17%, Poland 7-8%, and Hungary at 6-7%.
"In Central and Eastern European countries, the riots in France are linked to immigration and to the issue of non-adaptation and non-integration of immigrants," Boštjan Udovič, Chair of International Relations at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Social Sciences in Slovenia, told Fox News Digital.
"Magyar and Tusk are delivering a blunt message to Brussels," Schatz added, "being pro-European does not mean signing up for liberal immigration policies… Magyar explicitly presents the French disorder as vindication of his migration policy. Tusk’s warning against repeating other countries’ mistakes reinforces a similar political message."
Magyar said last week’s European Council summit "made it clear that the overwhelming majority of European countries have woken up and want to break with the permissive policies of the past. We hope it is not too late.
"The Europe we all love is in serious trouble today," the Hungarian leader said. "It is our responsibility, too, to help preserve our continent as the most wonderful place in the world for our children and grandchildren… I express my full solidarity with the French people."
Schatz said Magyar and Tusk "do not need to invoke Polish King Jan Sobieski’s leadership of the allied army that broke the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683 — a victory long celebrated as a defense of Christian Europe — to cast themselves as Europe’s protectors. Burning buildings provide a vivid contemporary backdrop for that message."
Udovič is not surprised by Magyar and Tusk’s positions, noting that Central and Eastern European countries "usually link their EU membership to their identity, based mostly on a single nation." This is part of their history, he says, and "it would be unrealistic to expect that countries that fought for their independence based on their national movement would adopt… a concept of a multiethnic society."
Schatz added, "This is ‘all politics is local’ playing out across borders. The streets are French or Italian; the voters being addressed are Hungarian or Polish." Udovič noted that Tusk is entering "a sort of pre-election campaign where migration will also be an issue."
Poland’s next parliamentary election is slated for Nov. 2027, and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a possible Tusk opponent, is echoing his successor’s remarks. "France is burning, and we must be wise before the harm is done," Morawiecki posted to X Monday morning. He added that his new center-right political coalition, Rozwoj Plus, "has a package of comprehensive solutions that will allow Poland to be not only prosperous, but also the safest country in the world!"
Meanwhile, "Strict immigration policies enjoy broad support in Hungary," former government official under the previous Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and current board member of the Hungarian Atlantic Council Á. Félix Debrenti told Fox News Digital.
He said, "Magyar understands that abandoning Orbán’s tough approach to immigration and border protection could cost him significant political support, particularly at a time when his party is already facing growing pressures."
He said, "Taking a strong position on immigration allows Magyar to shift public attention away from the government’s domestic challenges and onto an issue where there is a broad national consensus," Debrenti continues. "All this comes just days before Oct. 23… when Hungarians commemorate the 1956 Revolution and the fight for freedom against Soviet oppression."
Touching on the protests, Magyar posted: "Let there be no doubt: peaceful and lawful protest is one thing; vandalism and violence are quite another. The former is a fundamental right; the latter is a serious crime."
U.S. lawmakers are growing concerned with ongoing violence gripping the small NATO nation of Albania as police clashed with protesters in the capital Tirana.
The violence continued for a sixth straight day on Sunday as the lawmakers issued warnings on social media to Albanian authorities.
"The Albanian people deserve freedom, rule of law, and institutional accountability. The government must refrain from all violence against protestors. Young people deserve a voice in the future of their country," Republican South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson posted on X.
Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., posted on X that: "All parties must reject violence, and the government must respect the rights of peaceful protesters. Albania’s young people deserve a voice in shaping their nation’s future." Aderholt and Wilson were joined by Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, who stated on X: "The protests in Albania are a culmination of the people’s distrust of corrupt politicians and fatigue over the total disregard for the rule of law."
Police said 388 people had been charged with criminal offenses during the demonstrations, and an unspecified number of protesters and police have been injured, according to Reuters.
The U.S. Embassy in Albania called on all demonstrators to exercise their right to protest peacefully with no violent rioting, urging restraint and calm on all sides.
Tens of thousands have protested amid allegations of government corruption, inadequate education, unemployment and a lack of opportunity. The growing nationwide protest movement is driven by students and citizens also demanding accountability, an end to corruption and what they say is the restoration of democratic institutions and the rule of law.
The student-led demonstrations in Tirana, which have turned violent, have quickly spread to other parts of the country. Protesters have hurled rocks at police, burned government buildings, smashed shop windows and destroyed private property. They are demanding the resignation of Rama and have been met with a heavy-handed police presence, including rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas.
On Monday, Rama blamed outside forces for the violence, according to Reuters. "They are young men and women who have been ideologized and radicalized under the pressure or inspiration of that dark and new force that has emerged in Europe and the United States, which the President of the United States has designated a terrorist organization: ANTIFA."
In a post on Facebook translated by Reuters on Friday, Rama said, "These are also foreign hands that do not wish for Albania to be at peace; they do not want Albania to see clearly, to move forward, or to focus daily on addressing its own challenges for the sake of improvement. They do not want Albania to be part of the united European family — a place where it could finally, once and for all, escape these hands and the yoke of a forced choice."
"Rama's attempt to equate the unrest in Albania with the protests taking place in France, Italy and elsewhere in Europe overlooks the specific political grievances driving Albania's demonstrations," Agim Nesho, former Albanian ambassador to the U.S. and the United Nations, told Fox News Digital.
Nesho said Albania's European future must not be confused with the political survival of Edi Rama or any government.
"European integration is supposed to reinforce democracy, judicial independence, transparent governance, and fundamental freedoms — not provide political protection from public accountability. Brussels has a responsibility to examine allegations of police abuses independently, uphold the rights of peaceful demonstrators, and take seriously the grievances behind this national movement," Nesho added.
The European Commission Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighborhood condemned the violence gripping Albania.
"We condemn the use of violence in Tirana and other cities in Albania, including arson, attacks on State institutions and the destruction of public and private property. Violence has no place in a democratic society, and the response to it must remain within the law and proportionate," the Commission said.
The Commission noted the important gains Albania has made toward EU membership, reminded Albanians that grievances should be handled through constructive dialogue and in a peaceful manner.
The turmoil in Albania comes as the country has long sought European Union membership, which began in 2014 when it became an official candidate for accession. While the 2025 annual European Commission report stated that Albania made significant strides in judicial reforms and combating organized crime, the continued allegations of corruption in the Rama government and the current violence taking place will complicate its path to EU membership.
As France's fiery student protests merged with a nationwide revolt on Saturday, a communist leader and academic, Vijay Prashad, celebrated the unrest with a message linking protests across three continents.
"Paris-New Delhi-Buenos Aires," Prashad posted on X, borrowing a line from the British punk band The Clash: "Let fury have the hour, anger can be power."
Prashad was important not only for what he said, but for who he is: executive director of Tricontinental Ltd., a nonprofit funded by an American-born Marxist tech tycoon, Neville Roy Singham, who lives in Shanghai.
The message captured how France's riots have become part of a wider international narrative of rebellion — a kind of "Chaos Inc." — amplified by a transnational network of communist and socialist organizations stretching from Europe to Asia, Australia, Africa and South America and North America.
A Fox News Digital investigation has identified 54 organizations and movements in France's October student protests and their wider network of supporters and international amplifiers, including communist parties, revolutionary socialist groups, labor unions, environmental activists, Muslim student advocates, Palestinian-solidarity organizations and international media outlets.
Of the 54 organizations identified in the October protest ecosystem, 16 — or only about one in three — are student or youth organizations, including communist youth groups and a Muslim student association. The remaining 38 include adult-led communist groups, labor unions, political parties, revolutionary-left organizations, advocacy groups and international propaganda outlets.
They include Gilets jaunes, or "Yellow Vests," a radical far-left group that led protests with other groups this weekend, and far-left socialist political party La France Insoumise (LFI), or France Unbowed.
From the outset, far-left socialist and communist organizations helped organize and amplify France’s student revolt, using grievances over school conditions as a pretext to mobilize a broader political struggle against capitalism, government austerity, policing and military spending.
In a sign of unrest to come, France is inspiring an expansion of Chaos Inc.
Fox News Digital has learned an international coalition of 28 communist and socialist youth and organizations are galvanizing students and youth for a coordinated strike across 12 countries in Europe under the slogan "Fight for Our Future, Not Their Wars!" They are calling for walkouts, demonstrations, assemblies, blockades and occupations.
Among the international amplifiers for this mayhem are organizations within the Singham network, including Tricontinental, named for a communist convention in Havana, Cuba, in 1966, CodePink and BreakThrough News, a New York-based media outlet, which promoted coverage of the weekend's mayhem in France with the headline: "ANTI-MACRON PROTESTS ROCK FRANCE."
It shared a montage of chaotic scenes from Montpellier, Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Saint-Étienne, showing activists engulfed in smoke, Palestinian flags flapping above the crowds, black smoke billowing over flames and police hitting demonstrators with clubs. Its editors added a soundtrack of dramatic music. Its videos include politicians from the far-left socialist political party La France Insoumise (LFI).
In an interview with BreakThrough News, Jodie Evans, Singham's wife and co-founder of a far-left group he funded, CodePink, promoted a planned November campaign in Washington opposing U.S. military spending.
She explicitly invoked youth demonstrations abroad, including France, Spain and India, while urging Americans to participate in CodePink's campaign.
"I want people to look at France, Spain and India," Evans said, urging Americans to take to the streets.
Fox News Digital has prepared a "Who's Who Guide to Chaos Inc. in France," identifying the 54 organizations in the international network promoting the riots and protests in France, from direct organizing to participation, public solidarity and media amplification.
Communist Youth of Greece — COMMUNIST: A Greek communist youth organization that has publicly supported French students, connecting their education demands to opposition to military spending and government austerity. It has also supported communist protesters in Madrid, Spain, and Greece.
La Jeunesse Communists — COMMUNIST: A group coordinating communist youth activism visible in the French demonstrations, including hammer-and-sickle flags and banners calling for "Class War!"
Le Poing Levé — The Raised Fist — REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNIST: A revolutionary student and youth organization associated with Révolution Permanente that works to connect high-school and university protests.
Union de la Jeunesse Communiste (UJC) — Communist Youth Union — COMMUNIST: A French communist youth organization that called on supporters to join and amplify the student struggle.
STUDENT AND YOUTH GROUPS
AFGES – Les étudiant·e·s d'Alsace — The Students of Alsace: A Strasbourg-based student federation affiliated with FAGE that posted about the early October mobilization while describing itself as politically independent. It coordinated protests in Strasbourg on Oct. 17 with an Instagram post that said, "MOBILISER," which means "MOBILIZE." Another post invited activists onto the streets with the message, "LE COMBAT CONTINUE," or "THE FIGHT CONTINUES."
Étudiants Musulmans de France (EMF) — Muslim Students of France: A Muslim student association involved in student representation and campus solidarity whose social-media activity appears in the protest research; its exact Oct. 17 role remains unconfirmed.
Fédération des associations générales étudiantes (FAGE) — Federation of General Student Associations: A national student federation that joined calls for student mobilization against the "extremely violent repression" of youth. It shared footage of its members marching on Oct. 17, with the hashtags #manifestation #genz #17octobre.
Fédération Syndicale Étudiante (FSE) — Student Trade Union Federation: A left-wing student organization whose activists appeared in demonstrations and announced "Democratic and Antifascist Vigilance Committees," linking high-school grievances to the treatment of anti-Israel activists and union members. On Saturday, it posted videos with its trademark solid red flags. One message read: "In Bordeaux, protesters invade the house of the mayor! On October 17, the whole country is on a standstill. Everyone is mobilizing for better living conditions, and against cutting the budget for public service! In Bordeaux, we hear echoing in the protest: Only one solution, the Revolution! The mobilization of the 17 continues: let's block everywhere in France!"
Interfac Île-de-France — Regional Student Coordination: A student coordination organization among Oct. 17 organizers involved in discussions over demonstration routes in Paris.
Les Lycéens! — The High School Students!: A high-school student organization active in the early school blockades.
Rassemblement pour l'égalité et la démocratie Jeunes — Youth for Equality and Democracy: A youth civic and political organization associated with organizing support for students in Seine-Saint-Denis; its specific Oct. 17 role has not been independently established.
Solidaires Étudiant·e·s — Solidaires Students: A left-wing student union that supported the high-school movement and helped connect university students with the October demonstrations.
Union Étudiante — Student Union: A national university student union that helped mobilize students for the Oct. 6 demonstrations and encouraged participation in the broader movement.
Union nationale des étudiants de France (UNEF) — National Union of Students of France: One of France's established student unions, it was among the organizers of the Oct. 6 nationwide demonstrations.
Union syndicale lycéenne (USL) — High School Students' Union: A French high-school student union that helped organize the initial school blockades and October demonstrations before publicly supporting students joining the Oct. 17 Yellow Vest mobilization.
COMMUNIST, MARXIST, TROTSKYIST AND REVOLUTIONARY-SOCIALIST ORGANIZATIONS (11)
International Communist League — TROTSKYIST: An international communist organization whose French publication Le Bolchévik called on labor unions to mobilize in support of the school protests.
Jeunesse du Monde — COMMUNIST PUBLICATION: A communist publication associated with the Organisation Communiste de France; separate organizational participation in the October 17 protests has not been established.
La France insoumise (LFI) — France Unbowed — LEFT-POPULIST / SOCIALIST: A political movement whose elected officials supported student blockades, including lawmaker Louis Boyard, who waved a Palestinian flag alongside students at Paris-Est-Créteil University.
Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste – L'Anticapitaliste (NPA) — New Anticapitalist Party — REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST: A revolutionary anti-capitalist party that urged continued mobilization after the Oct. 6 protests.
Organisation communiste révolutionnaire — REVOLUTIONARY COMMUNIST: A communist organization identified in the wider research whose precise legal identity and direct October protest activities require additional verification.
Parti communiste français (PCF) — French Communist Party — COMMUNIST: Party leader Fabien Roussel publicly supported student demonstrators in Paris alongside communist elected officials and activists as demonstrators carried party flags.
Parti des Indigènes de la République (PIR) — Party of the Indigenous of the Republic — DECOLONIAL POLITICAL MOVEMENT: A political organization that defended the student revolt and circulated imagery of protesters outside Lycée Paul Éluard holding a Palestinian flag.
Parti de l'égalité socialiste — Socialist Equality Party — TROTSKYIST: A French socialist organization that called for workers' action committees and broader mobilization in support of the student movement.
Revolutionary Communist Group — COMMUNIST: A British revolutionary communist organization that published an article connecting the French student revolt to opposition to capitalism, imperialism and support for Palestine.
Révolution Permanente — Permanent Revolution — TROTSKYIST: A revolutionary socialist organization and publication that reported on university blockades and encouraged solidarity between high-school and university students.
World Socialist Web Site — TROTSKYIST MEDIA: An international socialist publication that covered the French school blockades and placed them within a broader argument about austerity, militarization and capitalism.
MUSLIM STUDENT AND PRO-PALESTINE ORGANIZATIONS (2)
Union juive française pour la paix (UJFP) — French Jewish Union for Peace: A Jewish peace and Palestine-solidarity organization that publicized "support for high school students" who joined protests in early October.
Urgence Palestine — Palestine Emergency: A French Palestine-solidarity organization whose protest-related social-media activity appears in the research, although direct organization of the October 17 demonstrations is not established.
LABOR UNIONS, TEACHERS' FEDERATIONS AND FARMERS (12)
CGT Éduc'action — CGT Education: The education-sector organization of the General Confederation of Labour that joined union mobilization calls.
CFDT Éducation Formation Recherche Publiques — CFDT Public Education, Training and Research: A public education and research union that joined education-sector statements supporting the school movement.
Confédération générale du travail (CGT) — General Confederation of Labour: One of France's major national labor confederations that supported the October school mobilizations and joined the Oct. 17 cost-of-living protests.
Confédération nationale du travail (CNT) — National Confederation of Labour — ANARCHO-SYNDICALIST TRADITION: A revolutionary-syndicalist labor organization that endorsed the student movement, declaring that students were right to revolt.
Fédération syndicale unitaire (FSU) — Unitary Trade Union Federation: A major education and public-sector union federation that supported the school mobilization.
FNEC FP-FO — National Federation of Education, Culture and Vocational Training–Workers' Force: Force Ouvrière's education federation, which joined calls supporting high-school demonstrations.
Force Ouvrière (FO) — Workers' Force: A national labor confederation whose education affiliates joined calls supporting high-school students.
SUD éducation — SUD Education: A left-wing education union that joined mobilization calls involving students and education workers.
Syndicat national des enseignements de second degré (SNES-FSU) — National Union of Secondary Education: A major secondary-school personnel union that supported strikes and demonstrations in solidarity with students.
Union syndicale Solidaires — Solidaires Trade Union: A left-wing labor federation whose regional branches promoted Oct. 17 demonstrations and strikes after earlier student solidarity mobilizations.
Union nationale des syndicats autonomes (UNSA) — National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions: A national trade-union federation whose education organizations supported the school movement.
HUMAN-RIGHTS, PARENTS', ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC-JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS (11)
ATTAC France — Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions and Citizen Action: An economic-justice organization that linked protest grievances with opposition to austerity and restrictions on civil liberties.
Coordination nationale du mouvement du 26 septembre — September 26 Movement Coordination: A climate-mobilization network that encouraged participation in Oct. 17 protests and connected environmental concerns with household economic pressures.
Fédération des conseils de parents d'élèves (FCPE) — Federation of Parents' Councils: A national parents' federation that called on members to demonstrate and announced participation by its national board in Paris.
Gilets jaunes — Yellow Vests: A radical far-left French protest group revived around fuel prices and the cost of living whose Oct. 17 demonstrations converged with the student mobilization.
Intersyndicale nationale VTC — National Private-Hire Drivers' Union Coalition: A professional drivers' coalition that promoted participation in the Oct. 17 mobilization, including a gathering at Place de la Bastille.
Les Soulèvements de la Terre — Earth Uprisings: A radical environmental movement that celebrated the student revolt and called for an antifascist uprising.
Ligue des droits de l'Homme (LDH) — Human Rights League: A French civil-liberties organization that publicized support for students and criticism of police repression.
Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples (MRAP) — Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Between Peoples: An antiracism organization identified in earlier coalition activity around the student demonstrations.
SOS Racisme — SOS Racism: A French antiracism organization included in coalition activity supporting the school movement.
INTERNATIONAL AMPLIFIERS AND ADDITIONAL OCT. 17 ORGANIZERS (2)
BreakThrough News — COMMUNIST SINGHAM NETWORK: A New York-based outlet that reported on French student demonstrations and previewed their participation in the October 17 cost-of-living mobilization.
Indian Alliance Paris — COMMUNIST SINGHAM NETWORK: A France-based Indian diaspora organization that connected French and Indian youth protests through its social-media messaging. It has partnered with the SIngham network's People's Forum for an event.
THE NEXT MOBILIZATION: NOV. 20 EUROPEAN YOUTH STRIKE
Counterfire — United Kingdom — REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST / ANTI-WAR: A British socialist organization that advertised the Nov. 20 strike and connected opposition to war with campaigns involving universities and Palestine.
International Socialist Alternative — REVOLUTIONARY SOCIALIST: An international socialist organization that endorsed the Nov. 20 action and connected opposition to militarization with criticism of capitalism.
International Youth Strike coalition: The international organizing coalition announced plans in August for coordinated Nov. 20 student walkouts and demonstrations across Europe under the slogan "Fight for Our Future, Not Their Wars!"
Socialist Party — United Kingdom — TROTSKYIST: A British socialist party whose October commentary linked France's student revolt with wider European mobilization and the forthcoming strike.
Socialist Students — United Kingdom — SOCIALIST: A British socialist student organization that promoted the Nov. 20 strike and sought to connect student opposition to military spending with wider socialist campaigns.
Stop the War Coalition — United Kingdom — ANTI-WAR: A British anti-war organization that promoted the youth strike and encouraged demonstrations opposing military spending.
A prominent French newspaper delivered a blistering critique of the country’s leadership after nationwide protests descended into riots, looting and arson.
The article, written by Vincent Trémolet de Villers for the conservative newspaper Le Figaro and published Sunday afternoon local time, blamed years of political failures for contributing to the unrest and took particular aim at President Emmanuel Macron.
It criticized what it described as a justice system that is "lenient toward criminals," accused far-left groups of carrying out violence with little consequence and took aim at France’s immigration and security policies.
"A judiciary that is lenient toward criminals but unrelenting toward decent citizens. The incomprehensible privilege of these far-left militias, who destroy, set fires, and kill with impunity," the article stated, according to a translation.
"An uncontrolled immigration, in which a portion of the immigrants rebels against the country that took them in."
The article also took aim at Macron over his past calls for police to show greater empathy.
"Emmanuel Macron’s reprimands toward a police force he deemed insufficiently 'empathetic' — directed at officers under attack by bolts, cobblestones, and mortar fireworks — will remain an indelible stain," it stated.
The author argued that the unrest reflected deeper failures by France’s political establishment.
"If the far-left, criminals, and looters can turn France upside down in a matter of hours, it is primarily because a technocratic monarchy — intoxicated by its own self-importance — has methodically dismantled all the moral, security, cultural, and economic safeguards that allow a society to remain standing."
The scathing assessment followed a day of violence across France, where masked groups clashed with police, looted businesses, set fires and attacked public buildings, according to The Associated Press.
Macron addressed the nation Sunday, condemning the violence and vowing that those responsible would be held accountable.
"Nothing will excuse their actions. We all tonight feel angry. We feel shame as well," Macron said, according to a translation of his televised remarks.
"There needs to be a response. Those people who looted need to pay for their crimes," he added.
The French president also acknowledged concerns raised by the youth about their economic prospects and futures.
"The youth of our nation are expressing great anguish and concern about the future, the conditions of where their careers will take them, what role they will be able to play in society," Macron said. "… I hear what they are saying, for the past ten years I've been fighting for them, so we need to pay heed to what they are saying."
Macron said he ordered officials to increase security around public buildings and businesses, with protests potentially restricted in some areas.
At least 2,400 people were arrested nationwide, including 855 in the Paris region, according to the AP.
More than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured, the AP reported, citing Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
Authorities estimated roughly 550,000 people took part in Saturday's demonstrations, while organizers put turnout at 800,000, according to the AP.
Hundreds of businesses were looted nationwide, and unrest continued Sunday in Paris, where police used tear gas as tensions flared around Place de la République.
The criticism also comes as Macron faces scrutiny over his decision to attend a Celine Dion concert with his wife, Brigitte, on Friday night, on the eve of the nationwide demonstrations.
The protests, fueled in part by anger over rising living costs, school conditions and public services, erupted into violence Saturday.
Macron's office and Le Figaro could not immediately be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Italy, like France, witnessed a day of protests on Saturday — several turning violent — as some Italian politicians blamed the extreme left for the lawlessness. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took to social media to condemn the unrest and back law enforcement.
Meloni wrote on X: "Once again, the women and men of the Law Enforcement Forces have had to face the violence of criminals who, even through organized groups, exploit demonstrations to seek confrontation and sow chaos," she posted.
She added, "Because they were there to safeguard the safety of citizens, workers, merchants and all the people who have the right to live [in] their city without fear and without seeing it laid to waste and set ablaze by gangs of thugs," she continued. "We stand with you."
Her Sunday morning post came after scenes of violence between protesters and police, the most visible being outside Milan’s historic Cathedral, known as the Piazza del Duomo.
The Associated Press reported 50 demonstrators, including minors, were detained and at least two police officers were hurt in a protest that required water cannons to disperse the crowd, quoting the LaPresse news agency. Rioters looted stores and smashed windows inside Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, one of Italy’s most famous 19th‑century arcades.
Meloni had already laid blame for the protests on Saturday night, posting: "Thugs who exploit demonstrations to sow chaos, attack those who ensure security and hold entire cities hostage… Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities ablaze is not."
She added a message to her political opponents: "I renew my request to the opposition: do not be ambiguous about this. Unequivocally condemn these acts of violence and issue a clear appeal for every mobilization to be peaceful."
Il Sole 24 news site quoted Francesco Filini, MP for Meloni's Fratelli d’Italia and national program coordinator, as saying: "It is no longer tolerable that every time left-wing extremists take to the streets, scenes of organized destruction unfold. We are not dealing with mere demonstrators, but with organized groups that plan violence."
Meloni posted she had "great respect for the thousands" who protested peacefully and calling participation "the foundation of any healthy democracy… we cannot ignore what happened in other Italian squares."
She noted that in Milan "stones were thrown at the Law Enforcement Forces, officers were injured, damage and violence occurred that forced the interruption of the procession. In Turin, people were stopped carrying cobblestones and window-breaking hammers. In Bologna, the disorders led to the precautionary closure of the railway station."
"In the face of scenes like these, the rejection must be unanimous," Meloni posted. "Any hesitation becomes justification. Silence is not acceptable."
Milan’s center-left mayor, Giuseppe Sala, told the Associated Press, "The reasons for the protests were understandable. The violence against law enforcement and serious damage to the city are not justifiable."
Reuters reported some 56 police officers were injured in the protest in Bologna, citing the police union, and the interior ministry says about 100 officers were hurt and around 30 arrests were made in the demonstration in Turin.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A historic building in the French town of Limoges, about three hours south of Paris, has been "largely lost" after it was set on fire by rioters as demonstrations continue across France.
The Limoges Town Hall was built in 1883, and was made a historic landmark in 1975.
"The roof has collapsed onto lower floors, except the west wing, and two-thirds of the exterior has already disappeared," the local prefect, Maurice Barate, told the AFP news agency.
Barate called it "a deliberate act by hooligans," adding that it was a "catastrophe for heritage."
The destruction came as far-left anti-government protests and violent clashes entered their fourth week in the European country over the cost of living.
On Saturday, outgoing President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media: "There is no place for violence in our republic."
"Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished," he added translated from French. "To the law enforcement forces, guarantors of the right to demonstrate, I express the support of the Nation. We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who seek only to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so."
Around 400 people were arrested on Saturday, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, as more than a half million people took part in more than 100 marches across the country.
Masked groups also attempted to break into city halls in Lille and Calais and a police station in Brest, the interior minister reported, along with violence in Rennes, Toulouse, Montpellier and Grenoble, among other cities.
While many of the protests were without violence, many have descended into riots. Police used tear gas and water cannons on Saturday to disperse violent groups in Paris, where people wearing hoods and masks threw fireworks and other objects at officers in the Place de la République.
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