Staff Reports
The scenes from France are ugly and avoidable. What began as student protests over crowded classrooms and failing schools has spread into nationwide unrest — and parts of those protests have turned violent. Newsmax host Carl Higbie called out what he sees as the modern left’s cheerleading for chaos, and the debate over blame and responsibility is heating up fast.
France in chaos: student anger, unions — and anarchists
The unrest started with teens and students protesting crumbling school conditions and shortages of teachers. That is a real problem. But large demonstrations invited union groups, far-left activists and anarchist “black bloc” fighters to the streets. When crowds swell, bad actors find cover. What was a legitimate fight over education funding and priorities became, in some places, arson, looting and attacks on police. Authorities reported roughly 2,300–2,400 arrests after the worst weekend, and hundreds of police and gendarmes were injured. Those are not small numbers, and they show this has moved beyond a classroom fight.
Why the left gets a pass — and why that matters
Carl Higbie’s take on Newsmax — calling the left’s response “suicidal, moronic empathy” in blunt terms — hits a nerve. Conservatives see a pattern: when mobs riot, too many on the modern left reflexively blame police or call for restraint without naming the anarchists who burn buildings. That selective outrage looks less like compassion and more like political calculation. If the left treats chaos as a tool to score points or destabilize opponents, public safety and normal citizens lose. That’s not an abstract point. Businesses, commuters and families pay the price when cities burn.
Government response and political fallout
French leaders have tried to thread a needle. President Emmanuel Macron condemned the worst violence and said the government would act. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked local authorities to impose partial curfews, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has signaled tougher security measures. Still, balancing crackdowns against legitimate protest is hard. The story will shape politics going forward — voters care about safety and schools, and parties on the right are using the unrest to argue that soft policies on order and borders have consequences.
Where we go from here
France needs solutions, not slogans. Fix the schools, fund teachers, and protect citizens from those who turn protests into pillage. Meanwhile, honest commentary matters. Calling out those who tacitly enable violence isn’t intolerance — it’s common sense. If the modern left truly wants to solve problems, it should condemn the anarchists and push real reforms instead of romanticizing unrest. Otherwise, the violence will keep spreading, and innocent people will keep paying the bill.
