FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that the rising riots in France stem from uncontrolled mass migration, a view echoed by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, who blamed lax immigration policies and broader European policy shortcomings for fueling the turmoil.
When questioned by Fox News Digital about Trump’s remarks and the unfolding situation in France, Waltz denounced the violence but also tied the unrest to Europe’s immigration stance and economic policies.
“I would always condemn lawlessness and the violence we see in Paris,” Waltz told Fox News Digital. “Yet we must acknowledge that open borders, an unchecked pro‑migration agenda, combined with years of policies that deny citizens basic energy resources and overspend on other government programs, have allowed frustration to reach a boiling point.”
FRANCE ERUPTS AGAIN AS STUDENTS PROTEST OVER EDUCATION
Protesters display a Palestinian flag during demonstrations in Strasbourg, France, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)
As the unrest intensified, Trump argued that the situation extends beyond students’ complaints about the education system. “What is happening in France is nothing short of uncontrolled mass migration,” he wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. “This is not about schools; it is about Islam seeking to dominate a once‑great nation.”
“Unfortunately, we are witnessing the outcome of those dynamics, and President Trump has highlighted them,” Waltz added.
The remarks came as France experienced its largest day of school‑related unrest since the protests began in September. On Tuesday, police deployed tear gas in Paris and other major cities, protesters set fires and hurled projectiles, and the French Interior Ministry reported that 6,100 individuals had been arrested, the vast majority of whom are minors, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the clashes as inflicting the school system’s “heaviest toll in decades”.
FRANCE’S VIOLENT STUDENT PROTESTS SERVE AS A WARNING FOR AMERICA: A CAUTIONARY TALE
A demonstrator feeds a burning barrier during a blockade outside the Le Corbusier secondary school in Aubervilliers, northern Paris, on Oct. 1, 2026. (Lou Benoist/AFP via Getty Images)
The French Interior Ministry confirmed that 6,100 people have been arrested so far, the overwhelming majority of them minors. Lecornu told legislators on Tuesday that at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff members have been injured, while his office noted that more than 700 police officers have also been hurt, according to Reuters.
The latest protests sparked clashes in Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg and Rennes, where police fired tear gas as demonstrators lit fires and threw projectiles. More than half of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were blockaded or expected to close on Tuesday, according to the High School Students Union. Paris police said the confrontations there arose when about 300 individuals attempted to confront security forces, adding that elsewhere the protests remained largely peaceful.
Theo Wold, a former assistant attorney general and former White House deputy assistant for domestic policy under Trump, also contended that immigration is fueling the unrest.
FRANCE SHAKEN BY STUDENT RIOTS AS HUNDREDS ARE ARRESTED AND VIOLENCE SPREADS ACROSS THE NATION
Masked protesters erect a barricade amid clashes with police during a demonstration near the Lycee Berthelot high school in Aubervilliers, close to Paris, on Oct. 2, 2026. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)
“The French are known for strikes, work stoppages and street demonstrations—a core element of the Fifth Republic’s civic culture,” Wold told Fox News Digital. “What is new is the surge in violence, lawlessness and rioting, which stems from mass immigration.”
Although Trump, Waltz and Wold attribute the violence to immigration, Reuters and the Associated Press have reported that the protest movement originated over concerns about school conditions—teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings and insufficient education funding. Students have cited overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and poor school facilities—including water leaks and rat infestations—as among their grievances.
The unrest has increasingly become intertwined with the broader political battle preceding France’s presidential election in April and May 2027. Reuters reported last week that French authorities and political opponents have accused legislators and mayors from the hard‑left France Unbowed party (LFI) of encouraging the demonstrations, a claim LFI denies.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman‑Diamond and Reuters contributed to this report.
