France Isn’t an Aberration – It’s a Warning

The horrifying scenes unfolding in France were entirely predictable – the consequence of years of Leftist policies that mistook open borders and an ever-expanding welfare state for compassion and social justice. To date, several people have been killed; hundreds have been injured; scores of buildings have been set on fire – including the beautiful Limoges Town Hall, now burned to the ground; hundreds of schools are closed due to the violence; and businesses have lost billions.

Defenders of these riots point to the initial student protests that sparked the movement as evidence of the righteousness of the cause. That claim wore thin pretty quickly as it became clear that the majority of the participants were far more interested in revolution and destruction than education. Met with an absurdly feeble response from the Macron government, the so-called protests quickly escalated into violence, looting, vandalism and arson – the most serious challenge to public safety since the protests of 1968.

What’s happening in France today represents the convergence of decades of failed Leftist policies that have made political and social dysfunction inevitable. The massive role of the French state in the economy has left the economy stagnant and millions lacking social mobility or opportunity. The growth of the welfare state has inculcated an infantile culture of dependence, in which the state exists primarily as a source of handouts, and the object of hatred when policies fail – as they always do – to deliver the promised results of social justice. Remember: France has government-run healthcare, five weeks of paid vacation, free childcare, and extensive social “safety” nets – yet none of it has been enough to stave off discontent.

Over time, these measures have corroded the social, political, and moral fabric of the nation, and have perverted the proper relationship between the state and a self-governing people. What’s more, France’s long tradition of tolerating disruptive and violent protest movements creates an incentive to take to the streets, and a convenient cover for the sick individuals who simply want to watch the world burn.

Immigration policy is also a major culprit. For decades, France and other countries in Europe have presided over an extremely permissive regime that has tolerated high levels of immigration without requiring them to assimilate and contribute to their adopted country. France’s bloated welfare state, stagnant economy, and ideological hostility to assimilation have created enclaves of immigrants who, at best, do not feel they have any stake in French society; and at worst, are actively hostile to France and to Western civilization writ large.

This has proven to be fertile ground for Islamists seeking to foment hostility to the French state, who have made common cause with the Left-wing radicals exacerbating these riots. And of course, the Islamists and antisemites who have deployed the atrocities of October 7 as a recruiting tool are using the so-called “protests” as an excuse for the premeditated destruction of synagogues and Jewish businesses.

As an American, it's tempting to look at what’s happening across the Atlantic and breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness we’re not like France! we might think. And it’s true that our constitutional system, reverence for the rule of law, and embrace of free enterprise set us apart from sclerotic nations like France.

But make no mistake: The Democrat Party is being taken over by radicals who want to pursue the same policies that have created the disaster we see in France today. The Democratic Socialists of America are promising radical change with giveaways galore. But of course, there’s never enough “free stuff” to go around, and someone eventually has to pay the bill.

We’ve seen what happens when elected officials simply decline to enforce the law and allow rioters to control the streets, as happened in blue cities across the country in the summer of 2020. We’ve experienced the lawlessness and disruption caused by uncontrolled illegal immigration thanks to the open-border policies of the Biden Administration. And we are living in a time in which elected officials like Zohran Mamdani are creating the permission structure for anti-Jewish hatred to flourish under the mantle of “anti-Zionism.”

Milton Friedman once said, “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results.” This is the central flaw of Leftists in France and around the world – and one that has caused untold destruction and misery. Americans must heed that lesson, and remember it at the ballot box in two weeks’ time.