Trump Blames Immigrants for 'Burning' France as Protests Erupt Over Schools, Cost of Living and Public Service

Donald Trump has blamed immigration for the unrest sweeping France, although the demonstrations began with student grievances over school conditions before widening into protests against austerity and public spending cuts.

In a Truth Social post on Sunday 18 October 2026, the president declared that 'France is burning' and urged the country to close its borders. The demonstrations began in mid-September at high schools over teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms before merging with a public-sector strike against austerity.

Online critics accused him of misrepresenting the cause of the protests, and his post offered no evidence for the immigration claim.

'France Is Burning'

Trump posted at 8.11am Eastern time on Sunday, a day after one of the most violent nights of the protests. 'France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,' he wrote. 'Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!'

Vice President JD Vance had earlier shared video of the fire at Limoges town hall and blamed permissive immigration, saying he hoped France would 'stop this madness before more landmarks burn down', SBS News reported.

It was not the first time Trump had linked the unrest to migration. On 6 October, as hundreds of thousands marched, he wrote: 'What's happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration. This isn't about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!' Newsweek reported.

Neither post cited evidence that immigrants were driving the protests, and French officials and students have described a movement rooted in education and public spending.

How a Student Revolt Spread

The protests began in September at high schools in the Paris region, where students complained of classes of up to 32 to 35 pupils, absent teachers who were never replaced and buildings with poor insulation and no air conditioning, Al Jazeera reported. By the end of that month, the education ministry said about 400 of France's 3,700 lycées had been affected.

Confrontations spread to Lille, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon and Marseille. The student movement then coincided with a nationwide public-sector strike against the government's 2027 budget, which includes €54 billion (about £47 billion) in cuts and savings and a freeze on state employees' base pay. Unions said that would be the fourth consecutive annual freeze.

The clashes had already led to arrests and injuries by the end of September. By 30 September, police had detained 440 people nationwide and 48 officers had been injured, Nuñez said, adding that hydrochloric acid had been thrown at police in seven incidents.

Students have described feeling ignored. 'To them, we are young enough to be kicked, to be gassed, but we are not old enough to be listened to,' high school student Octave Marty said, WJLA reported.

On 6 October alone, 266,000 people marched nationwide, including about 56,000 in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry, Newsweek reported. By then, more than 6,000 people, most of them minors, had been arrested over the preceding weeks of school protests.

The violence escalated this weekend. Authorities said 550,000 people demonstrated on Saturday 17 October, while unions and organisers put the figure at 800,000, Al Jazeera reported.

By Sunday, at least 2,400 people had been arrested nationwide over the weekend, including 855 in the Paris region, the AP reported. Nuñez said on Sunday that more than 600 first responders had been injured, Straight Arrow News reported. One person died of a heart attack in Paris, according to police, and a 17-year-old girl lost an eye in Mulhouse.

In Marseille, dozens of shops were looted and a group broke into city hall. In Limoges, flames engulfed the town hall. Yellow Vest supporters joined the students' weekend of action in Paris.

'This Is a Lie'

Trump's post drew a sharp response online. 'THIS IS A LIE. FAKE NEWS. France isn't burning because of immigrants,' wrote the commentator Morgan J. Freeman. 'The protests began with FRENCH STUDENTS furious over crumbling schools, overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages.'

Freeman accused the president of exploiting the unrest 'to manufacture fear 16 days before an election'. His post had been viewed more than 700,000 times and liked about 13,000 times when checked on Monday 19 October.

French politicians have traded blame of their own. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused far-left groups of orchestrating the violence, telling critics: 'This is YOUR political responsibility.' Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed, said: 'In Paris, aberrant leadership has opened the door to chaos,' Al Jazeera reported.

Nuñez said: 'Protesting is a fundamental right. Causing disorder through violence and in a concerted manner is not.' France's police watchdog, the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN), had opened 36 investigations into alleged police violence since the high school protests began, according to figures released on 13 October.

President Emmanuel Macron, whose second and final term ends next year, addressed the nation on Sunday evening. He denounced 'unrestrained violence' by 'insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals', the AP reported.

'Those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,' Macron said. He instructed prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by banning protests where necessary.

The unrest comes as Lecornu seeks parliamentary support for the 2027 budget ahead of the presidential election next spring.