‘Police weren’t overwhelmed by people protesting and marching’ about education and cost of living

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Andrew Smith, Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London. France’s escalating social unrest has exposed a troubling disconnect between legitimate popular grievances and the government’s increasingly security-focused response. Smith argues that the violence accompanying otherwise largely peaceful demonstrations reveals serious failures of policing, while President Emmanuel Macron’s response offers “very little of substance.” Drawing parallels with France’s historic protest movements, Smith identifies a “convergence of causes” rooted in economic insecurity, educational inequalities and political paralysis. He warns that a repressive response risks deepening the crisis, calling instead for a renewed commitment to “participatory social democracy.”