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Press briefs reported that, in its latest editorial, Le Monde argued that the protests on Saturday, October 17 should not be reduced to looting and destruction. The newspaper claimed that the vast majority of the processions had been peaceful and made legitimate demands, with 800,000 participants according to the organizers and 550,000 according to the Interior Ministry. The editorial blamed Emmanuel Macron for a persistent deafness to social movements during his two terms. It reproached successive governments for sidelining unions since 2017, weakening their role as intermediaries, and ignoring the dissatisfaction of young people. Le Monde linked the movement of October 17 to the Yellow Vests, which emerged in December 2018 around purchasing power and the cost of living, and reminded that the 225,000 contributions from the grievance books had not led to a political translation. The newspaper estimated that the 2023 demonstrations against the pension reform, adopted by the Borne government without a parliamentary vote, had similarly been followed by a lack of political response. According to the editorial, this situation had fueled mistrust towards the head of state, and the executive could no longer dismiss the demands; social peace, it argued, depended on their consideration. #Macron #GiletsJaunes #France (translated)

Florence Bergeaud-Blackler expressed her disagreement with a thesis by Jérôme Fourquet, which she said was echoed by almost all the media, presenting the riots as festive and playful events. She believed that this approach avoided naming a segment of the population descended from African immigration, to which, in her view, the punishment of infidels and colonizers was permitted. She added that the lack of designation, in her opinion, prevented understanding the cultural and religious motives of these individuals as well as their way of conducting political actions. #Émeutes #Immigration #Culture (translated)

Impact reported that Jean-Luc Mélenchon contested live on television the comments made by Sébastien Lecornu regarding the violence that occurred during the mobilization on October 17. Mélenchon accused the government of being solely responsible and called on Emmanuel Macron to respond to social anger and the demands of young people. He rejected the idea of having to choose between looters and police, believing that the conflict was rather between a youth facing a deep crisis and a government that, according to him, allowed the situation to deteriorate before resorting to blind violence. He compared the methods used to those observed during the Yellow Vests movement and the repression in the Antilles. Mélenchon also argued that maintaining order required a professional technique rather than resorting to brutality. He cited May 1968, stating that a month of violence and car and business fires had resulted in no deaths, and referred to the republican morals of the police union leaders of the time. He concluded that the government was responsible for the disorder and that democracy should allow for managing social tensions through debate and the maintenance of tranquility. #Mélanchon #Gouvernement #Violences (translated)

Thibault deMontbrial found the distress of thousands of merchants unbearable, whom he said had been assaulted and looted. He called on the state to use the legitimate force provided by law to protect the population from the rioters, believing that fear must quickly change sides. #Sécurité #Justice #Commerce (translated)

Beatrice Rosen wrote that she felt "globalism" had entered a new phase and that France, which she considered a key country, had often initiated social changes that were later observed elsewhere. According to her, the situation was being allowed to deteriorate by actors who fueled chaos, while well-meaning individuals were exposed on the ground. She believed that a phase of stunned awareness among the population, comparable to that during the health crisis, seemed to be at work and asserted that "it will not leave." She also suggested that events could be coordinated and that some would seek to add an entry into war to the national chaos. The eight-minute speech by "M", she wrote, would have had a purpose other than the interest of the citizens. Rosen clarified that this was her feeling and that she hoped to be wrong. She added that some actors might be participating covertly in this "activation" and that certain behaviors seemed to her to be explained by an advance from those she mentioned. #France #Globalisme #CriseSociétale (translated)

The author felt it was not the right time for his interlocutors. He reproached them for using their means to monitor and repress opponents rather than to protect the population, and then asked them what it felt like to cover, year after year, what he called the aberrations of a delusional leader. (translated)

During his televised speech, Emmanuel Macron stated that those who caused destruction during the violence of October 17 must be held accountable, while he also called for the condemnation of all violence and emphasized the anger felt by the population. #Violences17Octobre #Mobilisation #EmmanuelMacron (translated)

Bally Bagayoko described several local initiatives in Brittany: a flea market in Bulat-Pestivien, a municipality in Trémargat that governed with the population through referendums and open commissions, and the organic farm of Bodinel, where Léa and Morvan cultivated and made bread. In Saint-Adrien, he met people who supported undocumented and exiled individuals. He said he observed, as in Saint-Denis and Pierrefitte, that residents felt forgotten and that hate merchants exploited this void. According to him, pitting young people from working-class neighborhoods against Breton farmers was a mistake: they had the same adversaries and the same hopes. He added that abstention and the far right could not be fought from television studios, but by engaging with others. He believed that rural areas and working-class neighborhoods spoke with one voice, thanked Murielle and those who welcomed him, and asserted that 2027 was being built right now. #Solidarité #Ruralité #SouverainetéAlimentaire (translated)

What appears to be a drone exploded over the northern part of the country, posing a danger to the civilian population. According to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, this new incident is proof that the war waged by Russia against Ukraine "is spilling over onto NATO's eastern flank and the EU." #drone #Lituanie #Pologne (translated)

Little Think Tank estimated that France was sinking into a major social and political crisis, just a few months before the presidential election. According to the account, the CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa, and FSU had called for a national day of strike and demonstrations on November 5 to defend wages, public services, and employment. The account also indicated that the Yellow Vests were calling for actions to continue throughout the week and had announced a "Act 2" on October 24. It presented the protests, initially carried out by high school students and university students, as the expression of a deep social discontent that had been building for several months, or even several years. Little Think Tank added that the Farmers' Confederation had recently called for the convergence of struggles and that other sectors, including firefighters, were still on strike. #Grève #Manifestation #France (translated)

The forest fires in Indonesia, exacerbated by drought and illegal deforestation practices, are causing a major environmental and health crisis that severely impacts air quality and the health of populations in Southeast Asia. #IncendiesIndonésie #PollutionAtmosphérique #Climat (translated)

Beatrice Rosen stated that, for months, a man had been seeking to provoke chaos in France and internationally. She cited the "coalition of chaos," media provocations, measures she deemed absurd, and the rise in the cost of living, which she attributed to responses that aggravated the situation. She accused this man of willingly allowing the situation to deteriorate so that the public would demand measures restricting freedoms, calling this strategy the ultimate perversion. She added that many had shared this analysis for months, called for his resignation, and warned that there would be nothing left in seven months. #Chaos #Politique #Démission (translated)

Little Think Tank reported that American Vice President JD Vance estimated on Saturday that immigration was responsible for the violence that occurred during protests in France. According to the account, he wrote on X that Western progressives had promoted immigration in the name of diversity and compassion, while neglecting assimilation and compatibility. He also said he hoped that France would put an end to this situation before other monuments burned. #Immigration #France #Violence (translated)

The Jarl said that, beyond the work of the law enforcement forces, the hundreds of merchants who had tried to save their businesses during the scenes of urban guerrilla warfare had particularly touched him. He indicated that they were trying to protect years of work, their livelihood, and the means of subsistence for their families. In his book, he recalled, he had written that a state unable to protect its population could not continue to ask them to pay for that protection. He also accused the government of accumulating failures and failing in its primary mission: to protect the population. #Solidarité #Commerçants #Sécurité (translated)

AlertesInfos reported, citing Sky News, that the head of the British Army had announced that political leaders would soon prepare the population for the possibility of war. He had warned that every citizen would be called to make "sacrifices" and contribute to the defense of the country. #Guerre #Sécurité #Défense (translated)