France Struggles to Contain Fallout From Nationwide Protests

Nationwide protests in France against the high cost of living and scenes of looting and burning on the sidelines deepened a schism between extremes in the country's political spectrum and drew a reaction from US Vice President JD Vance.

Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader who leads in polls ahead of the presidential election in 2027, directly blamed far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon for stirring up the violence.

A spat between Mélenchon and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also emerged on X as protests spiraled out of control, with looting in large cities such as Paris and Bordeaux, while the historic city hall in Limoges in central France was set ablaze.

Le Pen said Saturday in a post on X that "legitimate social demands" were "hijacked by the far left and the rhetoric of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's members of parliament, who, by legitimizing violence and viewing order as oppression and disorder as a right, are seeking to plunge the country into chaos."

Mélenchon blamed police provocation for some of the disorder and wrote on X that "those who share our struggle are not to be involved in looting or vandalism." President Emmanuel Macron also reacted on X, calling for looters and vandals to be "prosecuted and punished," standing in support of the police.

The protests drew more than half a million people to streets across the country on Saturday, but what started out as peaceful processions to complain about poor conditions in classrooms and hospitals soon erupted into violence. Lecornu said 1,200 people had been arrested during the day.

Several took issue with the state's plan for law and order on Saturday. Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan has requested a meeting with Lecornu. He asked on Sunday why there were confrontations between protesters and police, while looters appeared to have a free hand breaking into shops.

The fire in the town hall of Limoges prompted a response from Vance, who linked the events to immigration and a lack of assimilation. "Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion," he wrote. "I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn."

Saturday was a day of broader demonstrations across Europe. In Italy, cost-of-living protests also descended into clashes in Turin and Bologna. In Milan, a loosely organized demonstration drew a mixed crowd before groups of mostly young, masked rioters fought police in and around Piazza Duomo, the main square at the heart of Italy's financial capital, throwing paving stones and firecrackers and looting stores.

"Demonstrating is a right. Setting our cities on fire is not," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday.