Against the backdrop of raging riots across France over the collapse of the national education system—tensions interwoven with volatile debates over immigration and national identity—French right-wing activist Thaïs d’Escufon published a stark appeal to Europeans and Western nations on Saturday, quickly amassing over 1.3 million views: “Don’t make the same mistakes we did.”
Video: Thaïs d’Escufon X page
In her viral post on X, d’Escufon wrote: “American and European friends, I’m so ashamed, but you need to see what France has become. Don’t make the same mistakes we did. The only peaceful solution is to send them back to their countries of origin they love so much. We cannot coexist. It will be them, or us.”
Online reactions ignited intense discourse, with several commentators arguing that the warning arrives “too late” as Western capitals continue to repeat Paris’s demographic and policy errors. One commentator asserted that these segments “were never meant to assimilate and never will,” adding that their broader trajectory aims at unraveling Western societal foundations.
Meanwhile, France is contending with one of its largest and most turbulent student-led protest movements in decades. A wave of demonstrations that originally sparked in the impoverished suburbs of Paris swiftly metastasized within days to urban hubs nationwide, rapidly degenerating into pitched street clashes with security forces.
According to Reuters, approximately 5,000 individuals—predominantly teenagers—have been detained since the flare-up began. Dozens of protesters have sustained injuries, while more than 600 police officers have been wounded in the unrest. In an ominous assessment ahead of a planned nationwide mobilization day, Paris Police Chief Patrice Faure warned that the situation has spiraled “out of control,” urging student groups to return to peaceful assembly. The escalations saw protesters storm and briefly seize key infrastructure, including the Paris Stock Exchange.
Video: social media
The unrest originally ignited in underprivileged suburban rings surrounding the capital, where severe poverty rates intersect with chronic educational neglect. Demonstrators cited severe shortages of certified teachers, canceled classes, overcrowded facilities, a lack of on-site nurses and social workers, and dilapidated infrastructure. From these suburbs, street agitation surged into central Paris and swept across regional cities including Marseille, Strasbourg, Tours, and Lille.