French protests raise fears of spillover effect

A weekend of violent cost-of-living protests in France risks intensifying crises elsewhere in Europe, analysts warned. Though largely peaceful, in some areas they degenerated into riots and mass looting in which cars were set alight, with police arresting more than 2,000 people. France is already grappling with a worsening debt problem and the prospect of far-right and far-left parties dominating 2027 presidential elections.

Now, it is at the center of a Europe-wide migration clash; regional leaders last week reportedly engaged in “heated” and “ugly” exchanges. Protests also took place in Belgium, Italy, and Portugal, while Commerzbank’s chief economist warned continental giant Germany “is becoming increasingly similar to France, even if many German politicians do not want to acknowledge it.”