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Trump blames 'mass migration', Islam for violent school protests in France

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 06 Oct 2026, 09:50 pm Print

Trump blames 'mass migration', Islam for violent school protests in France France Protest

Donald Trump blames migration, Islam for ongoing protests in France. Photo: White House/X/Screengrab of youtube video

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday attributed the violent student protests that have erupted across France to “mass migration” and Islam, using the unrest to advance his right-wing narrative ahead of the crucial midterm elections.

Trump rejected the suggestion that the protests were primarily linked to problems in France’s education system.

“What’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!” he added.

Trump, however, did not provide any evidence to substantiate his claims.

Meanwhile, several prominent voices in Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement have cited the unrest in France to amplify concerns over immigration ahead of the midterm elections.

Trump ally Glenn Beck wrote on X: “The riots in France are a clear warning to the rest of the West.”

“What is happening in France today is all part of an international network of socialists working to dismantle the West. This is the DSA’s endgame if Americans don’t wake up,” he said.

Right-wing commentator Dave Rubin, sharing a video of the protests across France, wrote on X: “This will come to America if the Democrats take power again.”

France witnessed one of its biggest days of protests on Tuesday, as thousands of students, joined by parents and teachers, took to the streets across the country over a shortage of teachers and staff, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings.

The protests, which initially involved school students, soon spread to universities, with hundreds of schools shut and dozens of university campuses blockaded.

Thousands of students were expected to demonstrate in Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Lyon and Paris on Tuesday.

According to figures from the French Education Ministry cited by multiple French media outlets, classes at 891 schools across the country were suspended either partially or completely amid the ongoing protests, the BBC reported.

Tuesday’s mass demonstrations followed two weeks of protests that began in deprived suburbs of Paris before spreading to other parts of the country.

The unrest has also been marked by violent clashes. A teenager reportedly suffered a severe hand injury after an explosive device went off during clashes between protesters and police in northern France on Monday.

More than 700 police officers have been injured, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the unrest as unprecedented “urban violence”, particularly targeting teachers and security forces, according to the BBC.

Nuñez said more than 6,000 people had been arrested amid the unrest.

The National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) has expressed “serious concern” over what it described as the “disproportionate use of force and procedural abuses”. It urged authorities to ensure that the state’s response to the unrest remained targeted and proportionate.

The rights body also called on the government to adopt a de-escalation strategy.

Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on October 4 that the government was taking additional steps to address the difficulties faced by high school students and education staff.

“The Government is taking an additional step today to address the difficulties faced by high school students and educational staff,” Lecornu wrote on X.

He said ministers had been tasked with preparing a roadmap featuring five key initiatives, with initial decisions expected before the end of October.

The Minister of National Education will oversee the implementation of the measures, Lecornu said.