Herald Report. September 10 in Paris : far left chaos.
The radical left sets Paris ablaze, while the right stands by and watches.
On September 10 in Paris, the anger over taxes that had been brewing on social media could have brought people together across the political divide. But as always, the far left seized on the opportunity, turning popular discontent into a militant outlet. The right, meanwhile, did nothing. It simply observed. The result: the streets occupied by the same people and anger that only benefited its opponents.
This episode is part of a toxic political climate. The Bayrou government fell after the National Assembly rejected the budget. Sébastien Lecornu, appointed Prime Minister, embodies nothing but empty continuity: just another interchangeable bourgeois centrist, symbolizing the sterility of the system. In this political vacuum, the streets have become a battlefield—and it is controlled by the left.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, “Bloquons tout” brought together 197,000 participants, 800 actions, 675 arrests, 549 police custody cases, and 34 injured law enforcement officers. These figures appear massive, but they mask a simple reality: only the far left drove this mobilization.
In the early afternoon, several thousand people had already gathered at Place de la République: Palestinian flags, undocumented migrant groups, naked migrants surrounded by punks with dogs. It was a grotesque, folkloric scene, where unrefined petty bourgeoisie mingled with pot-bellied communist activists. At Châtelet, the usual leftist routine unfolded: burning trash cans, bottle throwing, anti-police and pro-Palestinian slogans. In short, the same actors, the same scenes.
But it was in the evening, at Porte des Lilas, that the spectacle took on another dimension. There, we saw organized violence. Dozens of activists methodically erected barricades. A huge blaze consumed trash cans, electric batteries, and street furniture. A 20-year-old woman even set about burning a bus shelter—as if burning a glass shelter could bring down the state. Stupidity elevated to a political act.
The firefighters who came to put out the fire were surrounded and threatened by a dozen young people. The arrival of hundreds of riot police allowed them to be cleared away. Then the usual mechanics kicked in: mortars, tear gas, LBDs. The far left, for their part, retreated in scattered order, hiding in parking lots or stores, only to reappear and throw bottles. A guerrilla war in the gutters, led by excited marginalized individuals.
In this chaos, the absurdity was total. The far left struck at random, as did the CRS. I paid the price: isolated, far from the clashes, I was hit with a baton. Such is the tactical genius of the police: strike those who are not participating and let those who are setting fires get away. Talking to some of the CRS officers, you could sense their dismay: overwhelmed, they were mainly picking up projectiles and doing some screening.
Beyond the images of violence, one reality stands out: the radical left has managed to organize a militant youth movement. It is organized, ready for confrontation, and gives the left a permanent lever of pressure.
The right, on the other hand, is not in a position of strength in this area. It has no mobilized youth and no street strategy. With the exception of a few pockets—recently in Vienna around the issue of remigration—it remains invisible. It clings to the idea that the ballot box is enough, even as the left occupies the streets and imposes its agenda by force.
The lesson is clear: the left knows that the streets are a political weapon. If the right does not learn this lesson in turn, if it does not conquer the terrain, it will lose. Not only the elections, but the cultural battle and the future. Because one thing is certain: in the streets as in politics, absence always comes at a price. And on September 10, the right once again chose absence.
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