British historian Andrew Hussey has revised his assessment of civil unrest in France, stating that he no longer rules out the possibility of a civil war as anger among students and retirees deepens ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Writing previously in L’Express in 2025 to dismiss claims of an imminent conflict, the author of Fractured France now warns that political divisions have reached a critical juncture, stating that there is no longer any common ground left to be found between the French people, to the extent that our compatriots might well be at the vanguard of 21st-century problems in Europe.
The shift in perspective follows a wave of protests involving high school students that transformed into a broader social crisis. Hussey pointed to escalating violence against state symbols, including the destruction of the 1885 bell tower at the Limoges town hall, as evidence that public anger has taken on a destructive and anti-republican character.
Shifting Dynamics of Social Unrest in France
Economic pressures since 2023 have also drawn middle-class citizens and pensioners into financial insecurity, fueling widespread bitterness against the state. According to the historian, political polarization leaves the country caught between two extremes, creating a leadership vacuum in the political center following the arrival of Emmanuel Macron at power.
Historical Echoes and Contemporary Divisions
In France, the phenomenon has taken on a particular tone, notably because we retain memories of the colonial antisemitism that emerged as early as the 19th century in North Africa, among other places, and of course also taking into account the Vichy regime during the Second World War.
Minister of the Interior Laurent Nuñez offered a more measured assessment following demonstrations on October 24, noting that the “cortèges se sont bien passés” after earlier clashes on October 17. Nonetheless, there is an ongoing game of cat and mouse between police forces and radical black-bloc demonstrators.
Long-Term Integration Challenges Ahead of the Presidential Vote
Addressing the crisis through paramilitary crowd control or authoritarian policing would ultimately serve the interests of agitators seeking confrontation, according to Hussey. He maintains that lasting stability requires long-term investment in public services and the integration of marginalized communities rather than reliance on tear gas and flash-ball projectiles.
During the National Rally meetings that he attended for the writing of Fractured France, the public did not look like fascists, but rather like working-class people who all shared in common seeing themselves more in the words of Marine Le Pen than in those of Libération.
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