Trump on France Riots: “France Is Burning! … Close Your Borders,” He Writes as Arrests Top 1,200 and Officials Blame the Far Left
President Donald Trump weighed in Sunday on the France riots that swept the country over the weekend, writing on Truth Social that “France is burning!” and urging the country to “close your borders.”
“France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!” Trump wrote, according to Just the News.
The post is Trump’s view of the cause of the unrest. French officials have described the riots differently, as set out below.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FRANCE RIOTS
Protests that began last month over a teacher shortage at a school in the Paris suburb of Créteil grew on Saturday into nationwide demonstrations, joined by labor unions and other left-wing groups, Breitbart News reported, citing Le Figaro. Breitbart put the number of demonstrators at an estimated 550,000.
Rioters looted shops in central Paris, including the Galeries Lafayette department store, and set fires in several cities, according to Breitbart. The historic City Hall in Limoges, inaugurated in 1883, was largely destroyed by fire, and the Lyon tourism office was burned, Breitbart reported.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Saturday evening that 1,200 arrests had been made and that at least 150 police officers and gendarmes had been injured, Breitbart reported. Just the News reported Sunday that arrests had passed 1,800.
WHAT FRENCH OFFICIALS SAY
French officials have blamed the far left. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that “groups of several hundred or thousands of rioters, clearly instigated by the far left, attacked the police,” according to Breitbart, citing Le Figaro. Lecornu pointed to “ultra-left groups” and said: “It’s time to choose your side, either that of the Republic or that of the rioters.”
President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement Saturday that there is “no room for violence in our Republic,” the Washington Examiner reported. “Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted,” he said.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said he had told prosecutors to seek “an extremely firm judicial response,” including pre-trial detention for those who targeted police, firefighters, public buildings and businesses, according to Breitbart.
The mayors of Paris, Marseille and Lyon asked for an urgent meeting with the prime minister “given the scale of the damage and the seriousness of the situation,” Breitbart reported.
Sources: President Trump’s Truth Social post (Oct. 18, 2026), as quoted by Just the News; Breitbart News (Oct. 17, 2026), citing Le Figaro and French officials; Washington Examiner (Oct. 17, 2026).
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