Protests Over Schools and Costs Spread Across France; 70,000 Police to Be Deployed

Protests that began with students angry over school conditions have spread across France over the past month, and authorities said they will deploy 70,000 police officers ahead of further demonstrations. Students, activists and labor unions have raised issues from education funding to inflation. Some protests have turned violent, with rioters looting stores, burning buildings and attacking police stations, and thousands of arrests have been reported. On Saturday, thousands marched in Orléans, southwest of Paris, against what they called fascism, while other demonstrators gathered in the capital. Authorities said the deployment aims to prevent a repeat of the previous weekend's destruction and looting. Opposition politicians have criticized the government for failing to quell the unrest after its crackdown. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, said this week that France is trapped between violence and powerlessness and that voters can choose a path of authority and security in six months. A presidential election is due next year.

The right-leaning Fox News leads with Brivael Le Pogam, CEO of Argil AI, who said on "The Faulkner Focus" that the unrest shows the dead end of socialism and blamed decades of left-wing policy. Its headline adopts his words, and it adds the arrests, business damage, the Orléans march and the police deployment. It does not mention Le Pen. The left-leaning Slate frames the riots through history, comparing them with 1960s American unrest. It argues that violent protest tends to help right-wing politicians, citing Nixon in 1968, and warns that Le Pen could benefit. It quotes her directly and calls civil unrest sometimes justified, but omits the police numbers. Both describe spreading protests, looting and a government under pressure. They differ on emphasis: Fox stresses the cause and a business voice, while Slate stresses electoral consequences. The alternative outlet UnHerd uses France mainly as a symbol of conservative fears in a piece about JD Vance.