France's peaceful marchers and looters must be distinguished, analyst says
Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet links widening protests to frustration with Macron, political polarization and online influences from abroad.
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Tens of thousands march in France protests before police respond with tear gas and water cannons
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:01The opening reports police use of tear gas and water cannons during mass protests in Paris.
- 1:04Moreau-Chevrolet distinguishes peaceful demonstrators from looters and argues that populist parties are exploiting the unrest.
- 2:43He says demonstrations over school conditions have expanded into broader societal grievances.
- 3:41He criticizes Macron for taking too long to listen and responding unconvincingly to protesters' demands.
- 5:25He argues that online influences from US conservative movements, Russia and Iran are deepening French political divisions.
- 6:30He describes leaving Paris for the countryside with his family because of concern about the unrest.
Peaceful demonstrators and people intent on destruction should not be treated as the same group, political scientist Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet says in an interview about France's escalating unrest.
Canada's Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News) reports that tens of thousands marched as protests continued over school funding and soaring living costs. Near the Paris march's endpoint at Porte de Vincennes, some protesters threw projectiles while police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse people. The broadcast reports at least 100 arrests during the day's protests.
Moreau-Chevrolet, introduced as a professor at Sciences Po, the Paris political studies institution, describes the unrest as unusually violent. But he draws a distinction between the demands bringing people into the streets and the pillaging accompanying some demonstrations.
His central explanation is that a movement initially focused on school conditions has widened into a vehicle for broader grievances. He says public demand for change is strong, while competing populist forces on the far left and far right are exploiting the tension.
Asked about President Emmanuel Macron's response, Moreau-Chevrolet calls it slow and unconvincing. In his assessment, the president took too long to listen to demonstrators and has failed to answer their concerns persuasively.
The interview also turns to political influence online. Moreau-Chevrolet argues that US conservative movements, Russia and Iran are contributing to domestic division, framing France's turmoil as something shaped by forces beyond its borders as well as arguments at home.
He closes on a personal consequence: concern about the unrest led him to leave Paris for the countryside with his family. He describes himself as concerned rather than scared, saying homes had not been targeted.
A correction attached to the video says an earlier version included footage from Rome incorrectly identified as Paris. That footage was removed on October 25.
A public research university in Paris, formally called the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Historically focused on political science, it also teaches economics, law and sociology.
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