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2026-10-31 Europe
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'It's time to arm ourselves.' The French don't believe the authorities will protect them from pogroms
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Olesya Orlenko
[Regnum] France is counting the damage caused by the unrest, which is far from over.
How much will it cost to compensate the victims? Where will the funds come from, and what will the payment mechanism be? These questions are of serious concern to French society.
According to Xavier Crétez, professor of political science at Sciences Po University and co-author of the book "Political Violence in France," the participants in the current protests can be divided into three groups.
One group consists of politically motivated protesters, among whom far-left forces are indeed influential. Another group consists of those who enjoy participating in the general "movement," which is especially characteristic of young people. And the third group consists of rioters and looters, who commit their actions for various purposes, including profit.
The latest estimates indicate that approximately three thousand stores and other retail outlets have been affected by the actions of criminals. The total economic damage has already exceeded one billion euros.
To understand this, it's worth comparing these figures with the economic damage reported during the previous protests against pension reform in 2023. Back then, the reported damage to trade was estimated at €794 million.
However, experts conducting a detailed analysis revealed a more serious scale of losses. Subsequently, a special Senate committee estimated the loss at one billion euros, calling it colossal. There is every reason to believe that the actual damage in 2026 will also be much higher than current estimates.
Business representatives began alerting the authorities to their problems immediately after the large-scale pogroms began. Their first meeting with the government took place on October 19, during which the victims presented preliminary damage data and demands for government support measures.
State involvement is being sought on the grounds that inadequate government action is considered one of the reasons for the scale of the destruction. And despite attempts to justify it, the government acknowledges this fact.
It is no wonder that the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nunez, who recently headed the Paris police, admitted that the state had “lost control” of the situation and submitted his resignation, which, however, was not accepted by the president.
To compensate for economic losses in France in 2026, two serious steps were taken.
The first is the parliament's adoption of the so-called "pogromist law" in its first reading on October 28. According to the new law, those responsible for pogroms and looting will be fined to compensate the victims. Financially insolvent pogromists will face the loss of benefits and other budget payments.
The second measure is the so-called mandatory "riot tax," which will increase insurance premiums by 0.8%. The collected funds will be used to replenish the funds from which insurance companies pay compensation to victims of natural disasters.
The law was passed last winter in 2026 and will come into force on January 1, 2027. The government has decided to use this method to combat the reluctance of insurers in some regions to include compensation for damage caused by rioters in their contract terms.
But this decision has sparked widespread criticism. Citizens and experts are questioning the fairness of equating unpredictable natural disasters with mass unrest, which could have been avoided if the state and security forces had carried out competent work.
Moreover, basic riot insurance covers a limited number of events. To receive a full payout, the policy must specify multiple types of damage (broken display windows, broken furniture, damaged electrical wiring, etc.). And, obviously, insurance companies, taking advantage of numerous nuances, will use every opportunity to hinder or reduce the payment of compensation.
Meanwhile, stories of looted and ransacked French stores and their owners are being actively discussed by journalists and bloggers around the world. Pierre Colan, whose video game store in Nice was attacked on October 17, has become an international celebrity. He fought with the attackers, a video of which was leaked online. And a photo of Hassan Robioul near the ruins of his store has become a symbol of the tragic events of that same day in Paris.
Large factories were reportedly unharmed due to better security. However, one group of thieves managed to break into the Framatome plant, France's only hafnium producer. This rare metal is used in the production of nuclear power plant rods, Rafale fighter jet turbine blades, and nuclear submarine components.
Similar incidents have occurred at the plant before. However, it appears the necessary security measures were never taken. There is no known connection between the robbers and street criminals. But this incident is further evidence of the extremely dire situation in the country.
The French have already come to the conclusion that they will have to protect their property themselves. Demand for private security services has skyrocketed over the past three weeks, but their personnel cannot cover everyone. Consequently, many are calling for people to arm themselves in preparation for the next demonstration, scheduled for October 31st.
Against this backdrop, cases of fraud are also on the rise. Large-scale fundraising campaigns for affected shop owners are not always run on behalf of real people. For example, the aforementioned Hassan Robiul claimed that the approximately 50 "volunteers" raising money supposedly to restore his shop have no connection to him.
The current protests are undoubtedly quite large-scale, especially in terms of violence. However, it's not as if the country hasn't faced similar challenges before.
But the peculiarity of today is the systemic weakening of France, which is squandering valuable resources anywhere but on resolving domestic crises. Only a radical shift in domestic policy can change the situation, something that current politicians are apparently incapable of.
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Posted by badanov 2026-10-31 00:00||
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