Italy; Anti-Semitic Attack Near Rome Synagogue

I am assuming this is a case coming to trial in Rome. Today's Il Giornale is running a story on an unidentified, but well-known academic researcher in the field of Jewish history in Europe who was insulted with anti-Semitic verbiage by two men identified only as aged 36 and 46 years of age. The incident occurred on August 14 near a synagogue on via Padova in Rome. When the victim pulled out his cell phone to call 112 for help, the two men assaulted him physically and beat him about the face before fleeing. Video surveillance cameras enabled police to identify both of them. One is behind bars, and the other is under house arrest. 

The below article from Il Giornale is translated by Fousesquawk.  As the article points out, since the bestial attack by Hamas upon Israel on October 7, 2023, it has unleased a fury of anti-Israel demonstrations in the West.

How is that? What does that say about a segment of the people who are living among us?

First anti-Semitic insults and then the beatings, two precautionary measures in Rome

A 36-year-old and a 46-year-old verbally and physically assaulted an academic and expert researcher of the history of Jews in Europe near a synagogue in Rome

-Alessandra Corradi

October 31, 2026-09:06

Ten minutes of violence, consummated a few steps from a synagogue and fueled by an obvious motive of racial hatred. Digos (Special Operations ) from the police hqs of Rome have taken two precautionary measures against two men, a 36-year-old and a 46-year-old, deemed responsible in connection with an attempted robbery aggravated by anti-Semitic hate. One of them is behind bars, and his accomplice is under house arrest. Unfortunately, it is not the first episode of this type that has been recorded in this country and in Rome. In fact, there seems to be an escalation of violence that is striking the Jews since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, setting off an anti-Israel fury in the West.  

It was the evening of August 14 when the victim, an academic and well-known expert researcher in the history of Jews in Europe, and, being occupied daily with the dissemination and publication of studies on these subjects, was near the synagogue situated on via Padova in Rome. According to what the investigators have reconstructed, the researcher was suddenly approached by the two attackers: First, the anti-Semitic insults, then immediately to the physical attack when the victim pulled out a cell phone in a desperate attempt to contact the 112 emergency number. The two men, who are charged, lunged at him to grab the device from his hand and prevent him from calling for help, hitting him repeatedly in the face before fleeing to the surrounding streets.

A decisive turning point in the investigation was the analysis of the recorded videos of the surveillance cameras in the area. The images crystalized the dynamics of the attack, documenting the escalation from the verbal insults to the physical attack along the stretch of road where the incident (occurred). A fundamental contribution came from the joint work of the investigators of the Porta Pia police station and the Carabinieri of Piazza (Square) Bologna, linking the details provided by the victim in the complaint with the witness testimonies collected; the police managed to isolate some unmistakable particulars captured by video, such as physiological facial features and visible tattoos on the bodies of the attackers.  This led to the closing of the circle and the identification with certainty of the two subjects, whose presence in the area had already been recorded by electronic recording devices in the moments immediately preceding the attack.

Germany: Car Attack Near Hanover: Rival "Clans" Blamed

Hat tip Journalisten Watch (de)

Neustadt am Rübenberge in happier times

Neustadt am Rübenberge Monday night 

Late Monday night in the town of Neustadt am Rübenberge, near Hanover, a BMW plowed into a group of people on the street, apparently twice, before driving off. Apparently, police fired at the car, and the driver was arrested shortly afterward. As of the latest reporting, 3 are in custody, and 5 are injured, some seriously.

Police and the media are being very cautious in reporting the identity of the suspect(s) and the motives, but it has been reported that the motive is believed to be a clash between two rival clans ('large families"). Both of these terms in German have connotations of criminal networks. 

The conservative German website, Journalisten Watch, has no such compunction and reports that it is no doubt a result of a conflict between two rival criminal clans of foreign extraction, probably Arab.

There is video of the actual incident and the arrest of the driver, and we hope to provide a copy with English subtitles soon. In the interim, the below article from Journalisten Watch is translated by Fousesquawk.

After BMW hit-and-run attack: Police protection (for) Arab clans

October 28, 2026 at 14:00

-by Kurschatten

Caption: Attempt to arrest of one of the perpetrators Monday evening.

Late Monday evening, a BMW plowed repeatedly into a group of people near Hanover. Five people were injured, some seriously. There were shots fired. The perpetrator(s) fled on foot. The exact motive is still unclear, but the investigators believe that it involved a clash between criminal clans. It is yet another example of the unbridled brutality that has taken hold at all levels in Germany through mass migration.

And to top off the madness, both gangster clans have battled each other here and now under police protection at taxpayers' cost. Their homes are being guarded by police patrols. This was confirmed to Bild by a spokesperson, but due to investigative practical reasons, they declined to provide further details. One of the clan (members), however, stated that a patrol car was parked in front of his house. The residence of one of the members of the other large family clan is located about 800 meters away.

Incomprehensible distortion of all standards

In this country, conditions now rule in which dangerous, mostly Arab clans, be they in Berlin, the Ruhr region, Bremen or in Lower Saxony, in the middle of the street, sometimes in broad daylight, shoot or run each other down with cars, and the police protect them afterward.  Yet, the priority in any normal country would be to dismantle these gangs, to put as many of their members behind bars or, better yet, deport them as quickly as possible, as long as they haven't been handed out their German passports in the wake of this insane orgy of naturalization.

And where this is the case, and the original citizenship is maintained, the German (citizenship) must be taken away. However, instead of this, this country concerns itself with the safety of the gangster, not for the safety of the population, which every time has to deal with finding itself in the line of fire of these imported felons. This also shows yet again that in this country, sheer insanity and incomprehensible distortion of all standards reign.

Italy: Alleged Brains Behind October 17 Riots Appears in Court

Hat tip Gates of Vienna

Milan October 17, 2026

Youssef Siher

Italian police and prosecutors in Milan have charged 30-year-old Youssef Siher, a second-generation Italian of Moroccan origin, with orchestrating and inciting riots that shook Milan on October 17, similar to those that hit French cities the same day. Siher is considered the creator of an Instagram site, called the Movimento 17 Ottobre (October 17 Movement) which is alleged to have played a major role in inciting disturbances on October 17, largely in furtherance of the pro-Palestinian cause.

The below article from Il Giornale is translated by Fousesquawk.

Youssef Siher goes silent: The creator behind "the October 17 Movement" does not respond to the investigating judge

Today, the hearing to validate the arrest. Judge Tiziana Landoni must decide by tomorrow whether to keep him behind bars, as requested by the prosecution, or apply a less severe measure like house arrest or a mandatory signature.

Youssef Siher remained silent. The 30-year-old researcher and pro-Palestinian activist, considered the creator of the "October 17 Movement" Instagram page, exercised his right not to respond before the judge of instruction during the hearing to validate the arrest. Judge Tiziana Landoni will have to decide by tomorrow whether to keep him behind bars, as requested by the prosecutor, or apply a less severe measure like house arrest or a mandatory signature. At the end of the hearing, his attorneys, Yasmina Abu Sharar and Benedetto Ciccarone, responded to questions from journalists. They did not explain the motivations at the base of their actions because, "he will tell them". Instead, they entered, they explained, into the realm of answers from the legal point of view. In particular, they defined as "absurd," the accusation of terrorism. "He has only expressed his constitutional freedom," the (female) lawyer said. In addition: "He has not done anything. There has been no instigation to violence, no terrorism, no crime, and in the hearing, we have responded to the charges from the legal point of view."

Attorney Sharar responded to questions about Siher's wife, a 32-year-old cultural mediator, under investigation for the same crimes. "She has the right to privacy, she is not charged with anything and is free. She is very upset by the behavior of the press." In addition: "Whether what they are charging him with is attributable to him is yet to be seen. He has exercised his right not to respond." The lawyers continued to explain: "We believe there are no serious indications of guilt, nor exigent precautions, and we contested these profiles during the half-hour hearing," the lawyers explained. 

The charges are instigation to commit crimes aggravated by terrorism and violence during marches.  For prosecutor Francesca Crupi and Deputy Prosecutor Marcello Viola, Siher could flee thanks to his network of contacts, his cultural background, or (could) repeat the same crimes. 

In his posts, disseminated to users, he reportedly reached about 40,000 on his social media and 9,000 on his Telegram page, calling on them to new protests the following weekend. In particular, he reportedly reached thousands of people on chats with violent purposes, according to the magistrates. And he reportedly continued to create agitation in these groups with unpredictable consequences.

It was his last post, in particular, on Friday, October 23, indicating a change in strategy; In cancelling previous appointments and calling on his followers to remain "fluid" while awaiting new signs that would arrive shortly before the demonstrations, he proclaimed himself leader of the group. According to investigators, Siher, is allegedly an agitator capable of putting in place a "revolutionary strategy" to the point of realizing a "clear subversive design". With his statements and his social strategies, he allegedly incited thousands of (social media) users who were following him on his Instagram page, "17 October Movement" and his Telegram chat, the majority of whom had a propensity to "put into action criminal conduct against public order." He also allegedly offered logistical and organized support for concentrating communication and management of the network of various violent groups, a conduct that guaranteed continuous support to violent demonstrators and undoubtedly strengthened their criminal intentions." 

A second-generation Italian, freelance journalist, (with) contacts in the world of social centers, emerging figure in the Palestinian-Italian Youth, founder of the Milanese association, Nascent Sunrise, considered close to the practice of the Muslim Brotherhood, and considered by the public prosecutor a "top figure of the movement." It is precisely because of his "elevated cultural background and his relational contacts which would allow him to take refuge abroad," that it is feared he would flee.

Also in progress in the last hours are investigations on the part of Digos (National Police Special Investigations) as to possible links to those under investigation in the case of the Dda (Mafia/anti-Terrorism Prosecutor) of Genoa as to alleged finances of Hamas. Siher has never been directly involved, but the wiretaps in the case that led to the arrest of the activist and arrest of Api (Association of Palestinians in Italy) president Mohammad Hannoun will be analyzed.  In the indictment, the investigators focus on the "terrorist" aim of his actions. Siher allegedly incited online the commission of new acts of violence such as those of last weekend. The messages disseminated on his webpage, "if on the one hand, instigate the commission of crimes against public order, at the same time, convey a message of strongly symbolic content".  It was a "declaration of a continuing war aimed at instilling profound fear in the population and destabilizing the ordinary course of civil life."  

The prosecutors also explain that the cut-off of communications at meeting places. which were reportedly indicated only in the run-up to demonstrations could be a tactic with different aims: "To elude defensive deployments by law enforcement", "foment violent outbursts by troublemakers", and "instill fear in the population in the context of finding oneself in a real urban belligerence". 

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*Update- October 28, 2026

It appears the judge of instruction has thrown out the charges. She has refused to validate the arrest, stating that there were insufficient grounds to charge Siher with inciting violence or revolution against the State. He has now been released, though he remains under investigation. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called the decision, "shameful".

He's Baaack (at Columbia) Mahmoud Khalil Hawks His Book

-Kena Betancur-AFP

Columbia University and its infamous alumnus, Mahmoud Khalil, are back in the news today because Khalil, the Syrian-born agitator who led the anti-Israel, anti-Jewish disturbances on campus in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, will be speaking on campus tonight courtesy of the local campus Palestinian student advocacy group. 

The Columbia Spectator, the campus newspaper, is running an article (without mentioning the event) on Khalil's new book, "No Land to Stand on", which talks about his time spent in ICE custody while the government was trying to deport him. The soapy article is awash in tears for the plight of Khalil and the Palestinian people and their "displacement from their ancestral homeland".

There are demands for Columbia to cancel the appearance. Rather than get into a free speech argument here, I think it is more important to spread the word that Columbia is hosting this event after promising to clean up its act after the Trump administration pulled back funding. Columbia has not learned its lesson.

France: Macron Gets His Own History Wrong

Emmanuel Macron

As we reported yesterday, in the wake of last Saturday's riots which broke out in large French cities all over France, a Frenchman identified only as Kevin, went on a shooting spree yesterday on the outskirts of Paris, killing one person and wounding 5, including a 12-year-old girl. The victims are all described as North or sub-Saharan Africans and were allegedly targeted as such. This is to be condemned by all decent people.

French President Emmanuel Macron has made a controversial statement in response to the shooting to the effect that this incident is the first terrorist attack in France based on skin color or religion. This has led to an outcry from people on both sides of the political spectrum, who point out the number of Jews, Catholics, and whites murdered in France in the past due to their ethnicity/religion.

The article below from Le Monde lists several incidents that Macron failed to mention. For the benefit of the reader, I am adding additional details to each of the attacks mentioned with the exception of the incident described only as "Thomas", which has insufficient information.  

First, there is the 2012 attack by Mohamed Merah on a Jewish school in Toulouse in which 7 people were killed, including 3 students, 2 of whom were brothers, the terrorist attack on the Hyper Casher Jewish supermarket in 2015 in a Paris suburb in which 4 Jewish hostages were murdered, the assassination of Father Jacques Hamel by two Islamic terrorists while conducting Mass in his church in 2016 in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray. (His throat was slashed.) In the 2020 attack on the Notre Dame Basilica in Nice, a Tunisian man stabbed 3 people to death. In the 1982 Rue de Rosier attack on a Jewish restaurant in a Paris neighborhood, 6 people were murdered. Samuel Paty was a teacher who showed his students images of the Prophet Mohammed in his class 2020 in Éragny, Val-d'Oise, Île-de-France. For that, he was attacked and beheaded outside his school by a Muslim man.  In the Charlie Hebdo murders, 12 people were murdered in 2015 in Paris by two Algerian brothers in retaliation for satirical cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad by the Charlie Hebdo weekly newspaper. One of the dead was a French police officer.

To those, I would add the 2006 kidnap, torture, and murder of 23-year-old Ilan Halimi, a Jewish man in Paris at the hands of a group of young people of various nationalities who called themselves the "Gang of Barbarians", as well as the 2017 murder of Sarah Halimi (no relation) a 65-year-old Jewish woman in Paris who was attacked in her apartment, murdered and thrown from her balcony by Kobili Traore, a 30-year-old man, who reportedly screamed, "Allahu akhbar" while committing his crime, but who was acquitted on the grounds that he was high on cannabis at the time of his crime.

 Dare I not mention the November 2015 Paris attacks by Islamic terrorists, which killed 130 people, or the truck attack in Nice in 2016 by a Tunisian that killed 86 people?

Dare I not mention the Holocaust in France during World War 2?

The article below from Le Monde is translated by Fousesquawk. 

 Murderous attack in Trappes: Emmanuel Macron causes controversy by evoking a "first terrorist act" for reason of "the color of skin or religion," despite previous incidents. The Elysee (Palace) responds by explaining that "the chief of state was, of course, speaking about the first racist attack based on the color of skin committed in the country, as he made clear at the beginning of his statement". 

-Le Monde with Agence France-Presse

Posted today at 08:23, updated at 08:34

Several personalities expressed their disapproval on Friday, October 23, after the remarks from Emmanuel Macron about the attack in Trappes, which the president described as, "the first terrorist act due to 'skin color or religion," despite previous incidents.

From both sides of the political spectrum, and various associations, the president of the Republic is accused of "forgetting", of "denying reality", in particular, the attack committed in 2012 by Mohamed Merah, which cost the lives of 7 persons, including 3 students of a Jewish school, that of the Hyper Casher (Jewish supermarket) in 2015, the assassination of Father Hamel in 2016, or the attack on the Notre Dame Basilica of Nice in 2020.

On Friday, a man suspected of targeting people with an immigration background killed one person and wounded 5 others during an attack between Trappes and La Verriere (Yvelines). He was arrested and placed in custody.

"This is a turning point because it is the first time that there is a terrorist act planned to kill our compatriots, our children by reason of their skin color or the religion they were raised in," affirmed Emmanuel Macron, who went to the scene in the evening. "What happened today is a racist terrorist attack," he asserted. "We will not give in to ideas that are taking root in the Republic that could justify this kind of behavior or could create an atmosphere that could justify them".

A statement "politically problematic"

"Contrary to what you declare, it is not the 'first time' that French people are targeted and killed in the context of a planned terrorist operation 'by reason of their skin color or their religion''', Jordan Bardella, President of Rassemblement National, stated on the X platform, citing previous incidents from the last 15 years. 

"This statement by the President of the Republic is factually false, thus politically problematic," added Essonne deputy Jerome Guedi (Socialist Party), stressing that "identity categorization" had already "been utilized as leverage for terrorism".

Turning back to the Rue des Rosiers in 1982, the Member of the European Parliament, Xavier Bellamy (The Republicans), called on Emmanuel Macron not to "make people believe this is a turning point, to suddenly deny the reality of the tears shed by France for far too long," also mentioning the attack against Charlie Hebdo and the murder of Samuel Paty, "killed for what they did not believe in."

"A tragic evening where the president chose his deaths. He forgets the Catholics, like Father Hamel, (who) died because he was Catholic. He forgets the Jews, like the Sandler children, (who) died because they were Jews. He forgets the whites, like Thomas, (who) died because he was white," the extreme right member of the European Parliament deputy Sarah Knafo (Reconquete party), also rebuked. 

"No pain is above another"

The president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), Yonathan Arfi, also reacted. "To kill a French person for the color of their skin or supposed religion is to attack the entire Republic. We are all on the side of the victims without reservation," he wrote on X. "Because this unity is sacred is precisely why a statement of the president of the Republic requires a clarification," noting that, "it is unfortunately not the first 'first time' that such an attack has occurred in France''.

During the evening, the Elysee (Palace) responded to the controversy, explaining that, "the head of State was, of course, speaking of the first racist attack based on the color of skin committed in the country, as he made clear at the beginning of his statement".

The president himself stated on X he wanted, "to recall an essential truth and avoid all controversy: The country has known in past years the attacks that have struck Christians because they were Christians and the Jews because they were Jews. None of these victims should be forgotten. No pain should be above another. And (he) did not want anything this evening to add to the pain of the families, to the sadness of the country and the reflection of the nation."

UC Professor Wants to "De-Zionize" University of California

My friend, Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, co-founder of the Amcha Initiative, an organization founded by retired professors from UCLA and UC Santa Cruz to expose and combat campus antisemitism, has written an excellent article in Jewish Journal about a not-so-excellent article by a current UC Merced professor, which is linked in her article. 

The professor in question, Sean Malloy, who is a professor of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, has written an essay demanding the-get this-"dezionization" of the entire University of California system. 

He compares this "dezionization to the denazification of Germany after World War 2, which I also find laughable. 

Below is what I wrote in the reader comments to his essay.

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As a non-Jew, I taught part-time at UC Irvine from 1998-2026, and I saw first-hand who were really targeted on campus, and it wasn't pro-Palestinian students. It was Jewish students. It was they whose events were routinely disrupted. It was the SJP and MSU who invited radical speakers like Amir Abdel Malik Ali and many others, whose words often crossed the line from criticism of Israel to Jew hatred.

What Mr Malloy is talking about with his absurd claim about "de-Zionizing" the UC system is cleansing the university of opposing political thought. What comes next, "de-conservatizing the university"? What Malloy is talking about is a perversion of what higher education is supposed to be about.

One final point: If Israel wanted to commit genocide against the Palestinians, it could have done it long ago. It has not. It could have done it after the horrific acts Hamas committed on October 7. It did not do so. Malloy should be more concerned about what happened on October 7.

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It appears most of the other readers share my negative view of Mr Malloy's essay.

France: Random Shooting Attack Against Africans/N.Africans-One Dead, 5 Wounded

 I'm getting tired of writing about France, but I can't let today's incident in the suburbs outside Paris go by without comment. A French man, while driving through the streets armed with a military-style weapon, fired randomly at African/North African people, killing one and wounding 5 others, including a 12-year-old girl, in what appears to be a targeted attack. He has been taken into custody.

This kind of vigilante action against innocent people, based on their ethnicity or physical appearance,  cannot be condoned.

I truly fear that, given the current government's weakness in the face of the recent lawlessness, some of it committed by migrants and disaffected 2nd- and 3rd-generation immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, a form of civil war may be looming in France. Could today's incident represent an example?

I hope not. My hope is that last Saturday's riots will serve to wake the French government up from its malaise. If it doesn't, hopefully, a new government will be elected next April that will clean up this mess and protect its people and its institutions from attacks from people determined to destroy Western civilization.

French Toast

 

"Merde, Emmanuel. Not even Spiderman can save us now."

France: What Happened in Marseille on October 17

Hat tip Francois Desouche

The French blog, Francois Desouche, has cross-posted a press release by the Archbishop of Marseille, Jean-Marc Aveline, that an unspecified number of churches in Marseille were attacked during the riots of October 17. In addition, FDesouche has also cross-posted a post by member of European Parliament Laurence Trochu, who goes a step further. She alleges that the majority of the attackers of the churches in Marseille were of immigrant origin, which was not mentioned by the Archbishop.

The below post by FDesouche, the press release by Archbishop Aveline, and the post by Truchu are translated by Fousesquawk. All are contained in the FDesouche link.

Marseille (13)

The Diocese confirms that churches were broken into during the riots of October 17- FDesouche

-By Francois

October 21, 2026 at 01:55

Caption: Reform Church in Marseille on 17 October 2026 in the smoke of trash cans set on fire in the surrounding area. The diocese does not specify which churches were broken into.

Churches were broken into in Marseille during the violence of October 17. Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, reports this in a press release published the following day, along with the looting of businesses, damage to City Hall, ransacking of a police station, and attacks against law enforcement. 

Reacting on October 20 on X, Laurence Trochu denounces the attacks targeting religious sites. The member of the European Parliament believes that they strike at France, her roots, and her identity, and constitute an attack "against our civilization, our roots, and who we are".

She also describes the rioters and looters as "mostly of immigration background". This assertion is her own. The diocese press release makes no indication as to the identity or the origin of the perpetrators.

Cardinal Aveline, for his part, expresses his solidarity with those injured and the merchants, victims of the violence, and calls for the return of peace. His press release does not specify either the number or the names of the concerned churches, nor the extent of the damage.

Sources : communiqué du diocèse de Marseille, 18 octobre · message de Laurence Trochu, 20 octobre.

Yesterday, our city, like other cities in France was the scene of unacceptable violence: on the margins of scheduled demonstrations, stores were looted, churches were broken into, City Hall was stormed and damaged, a police station was ransacked, and members of law enforcement were attacked. Along with the entire Church of Marseille, I wish to express my support and my solidarity to the people who were injured and to the merchants who were victims of this vandalism. An appeal to everyone not to get caught up in this spiral of violence. Our city and our country deserve better than that. With all believers, we pray for an end to the disturbances, and that peace will return.

Marseille, 18 October 2026

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline

Archbishop of Marseille

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I learn with consternation in a press release from the Diocese of Marseille that churches have been attacked during the riots of the last few days.

In attacking our churches, the rioters and looters, mostly of immigrant origin, have crossed a line.  This is a direct attack against France, against our civilization, our roots, and who we are. Let us not be silent about this reality!

-Laurence Trochu

 

France, Europe and the West

 This article first appeared in New English Review.

The scenes coming out of France on the night of October 17 should serve as a wake-up call not only for the French people, but Europeans and Westerners in general.  But how many times have we said that and for how many years now? And it’s not just Europe that should be taking note.

It was not only Paris; Demonstrations in other French cities, ostensibly to protest the high cost of living, high fuel costs, and poor school conditions spiraled out of control and turned into violent and destructive riots. Several cities witnessed their town halls under attack, most notably Limoges, where rioters overwhelmed police, who literally had to flee for their lives. Once inside, the rioters set the building ablaze, destroying much of the 19^th century landmark structure including its iconic steeple. Similar scenes played out in Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Lille, Rennes, and other large metropolitan areas. Over 1,000 French police officers have been injured.

Limoges City Hall before and after October 17, 2026

-Gates of Vienna

In Paris, while a female Spanish reporter was broadcasting from the scene during the night of the 17^th, she had to suspend her broadcast when several young men, apparently of Arab and African background, hogged the camera and waved their middle fingers and made throat-slashing gestures (below).

-Remix News (Hungary)

If that wasn’t enough, riots also broke out in Italian cities, most notably Milan in front of the famed Duomo cathedral. There was nothing spontaneous or organic about any of this. This was all organized, the latest example of the red-green alliance, the marriage of convenience between Islamist extremists, migrant thugs, Antifa, Black Bloc, anarchists, the Palestinian flag wavers, Marxists, and various and sundry left-wing radicals. It had nothing to do with the high cost of living or poor school conditions. It was about destroying Western civilization from within.  Make no mistake: This is largely the result of Europe’s total mishandling of immigration and asylum policies, policies which, when handled correctly and wisely, can greatly benefit a country. Many of the rioters in France are the children of migrants, second and third generation French citizens, yet unassimilated and disaffected from French society, and mostly Muslim, the perfect deadly cocktail.

Last night, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the nation on television. I watched a replay of his speech an hour or so later. To me, it was typically weak and pusillanimous. After promising that the rioters would “pay” for their transgressions, he assured (lawful) protesters that the government was listening to their concerns about the high costs of living and fuel and the conditions of schools. He took an indirect swipe at Trump and Netanyahu by referring to rising fuel costs in France due to a war that France had nothing to do with. And, of course, he appealed for calm in the runup to the upcoming elections scheduled for April 2027, which must now seem like an eternity in France.

What he did not do was declare a state of emergency. Not being familiar with French law, I don’t know what it requires for the French military to get involved (as was recently done in Spain with the Ceuta situation), but it is painfully clear that the police cannot handle this alone. It is now just a matter of time before they start getting killed. It is also a matter of time before they have to kill in self-defense.

The mess in Europe, which has been escalating since 2015, when former German chancellor Angela Merkel opened the floodgates to Syrian refugees, has now reached a new level of violence, and it is intolerable. France now has an opportunity to lead the way for the rest of Europe. It must seize that opportunity, or radicals in the rest of Western Europe will taste the blood and rise up.  This uprising must be put down, and the perpetrators and those financing them from behind the scenes must be removed from society and removed from Europe. Personally, I don’t care if France has to send in the French Foreign Legion. I don’t care if France has to bring back the guillotine, and I don’t care if they have to reopen Devil’s Island. France needs to act now, and the rest of the EU needs to support France and act in concert with her.  The more the cancer spreads, the more drastic the surgery will have to be.

 

France: Limoges' Historic City Hall Burned

Limoges City Hall

-MSN

This is truly heartbreaking and truly outrageous at the same time. In France, already suffering from a rash of riots by students, migrants, people wearing Palestinian keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags, leftists, and other social misfits, October 17 was marked by demonstrations all over France, ostensibly protesting the high cost of living that degenerated predictably into riots in many major cities. In the city of Limoges, hooded rioters overwhelmed police, broke into the old city hall, constructed in 1883, and burned much of it down, including its iconic steeple, as hundreds of townsfolk watched in horror, many in tears.

The below article from today's Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk.

"It is largely lost" The terrible images of the fire of the Limoges City Hall at the edge of October 17 demonstration by Camille Aguille with Agence France Presse.

Posted on October 17 20226 at 21:06, updated October 17, 2026 at 22:19

A group of hooded individuals broke into Limoges City Hall before a fire broke out there.

A roof structure ravaged by flames. "This beautiful Limoges City Hall," lamented one internet user  Saturday as a fire engulfed the roof of the Limoges City Hall. The fire broke out after a group of individuals attacked the building when violence erupted at the end of the demonstration against the high cost of living.

The fire spread along one wing of the building and reached the roof, whose beams are in danger of collapsing. Around 8 pm, the firefighters were still fighting the flames, trying to prevent the entire building from collapsing. This historic building was inaugurated in 1883, and its architecture was inspired by Paris' City Hall. "It is largely destroyed," declared the Prefect of Haute-Vienne.

Clashes near the prefecture

From a distance, hundreds of people watched the blaze, distraught. One employee of City Hall was in tears in the arms of an elected official. Several thousand people participated in her demonstration before the violence broke out at the end of the march. After having burned a municipal police vehicle in front of City Hall, hooded individuals broke windows to penetrate into the interior and set the fire.

"The police no longer had sufficient means to disengage, nor did they further have the capacity to contain the thousands of madmen, anarchists, ultra-leftists, and thugs on the boulevards," fumed Guillaume Guerin, the LR (Republican) mayor. 

According to him, the municipal police succeeded in getting out of City Hall, "at the moment that the barbarians entered, while telling them they were going to kill them...those were the terms they used tonight. There are those who will be held responsible, but in any case, the responsibility does not lie with the police."

"This is not stupidity, it is hatred, it's hatred of the French flag, it's hatred of the institutions, it's hatred of the school principals, it's hatred of the cops, it's hatred of the elected officials, it's hatred of everything that embodies authority. It's not small-time delinquents who did this; it's people who are very methodical," the mayor insisted. Four national police vehicles and two from the municipal police were burned or heavily damaged during the violence.

Violence broke out near a highway interchange in the metropolitan area, where rioters set fire to a national police car, according to the daily newspaper, Le Populaire du Centre, while businesses were looted in the city center. Clashes also occurred with police near the prefecture of Haute-Vienne, with the throwing of projectiles, mortars, and tear gas grenades.

Other city halls were also vandalised during this national mobilisation. Individuals penetrated the City Hall of Lille and caused damage. The City Hall of Marseille was also targeted.

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Fousesquawk comment:

Have you had enough, France?

France: An Interesting Survey on the Presidential Elections

Hat tip Francois Desouche

The French blog, Francois Desouche, has cross-posted an interesting survey conducted by Ifop (Institut français d'opinion publique) for the French site Marianne. It shows that certain segments of the French population would consider leaving France if populist leader Marine Le Pen is elected president in the upcoming elections.  This includes Muslims, Jews, and voters for the far-left politician, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. As the survey itself notes, it is a small sample size, so the results should be viewed with caution. Nevertheless, the results are interesting.

The below FDesouche posting and Ifop chart are translated by Fousesquawk.

If Marine Le Pen is elected, 46% of Muslims and 43% of Melenchon voters would consider leaving France (Ifop) *

* Institut français d'opinion publique 

According to an Ifop survey for Marianne, published October 14, 2026, 46% of people of the Muslim faith surveyed would consider leaving France to settle in another country if Marine Le Pen is elected president of the Republic. This proportion reaches 43% among Jean-Luc Mélenchon voters and 40% of Generation Z voters. 

Among the general population queried, 21% would consider leaving under this hypothesis. Among Muslims surveyed, 20% responded that they would "certainly" leave the country. More than 8 out of ten fear an increase in attacks and discrimination against them in the event of a victory by Marine Le Pen.

Marianne also reveals that 44% of respondents of the Jewish faith would consider leaving France, while noting that the (small sample size) means the results should be interpreted with caution.

41% say they would refuse to respect laws (they) consider "unjust" 

The investigation also measures the reactions to eventual Le Pen power. 41% of those surveyed express themselves prepared to refuse to respect laws that they judge to be "unjust". This response applies to three out of four Jean-Luc Mélenchon voters and 45% of public workers queried. In addition, 38% of workers said they would be prepared to participate in a general strike.

Chart

Imagine if Marine Le Pen was elected President of the Republic. In this context, could you...

Cease wearing religious signs on the street:

Yes                                                                Among Muslims

30%                                                                      26%

Hide your religious affiliation in everyday life

Yes                                                                Among Muslims

25%                                                                       27%

Refuse to respect laws you judge to be unjust

Yes                      Among public workers               Jean-Luc Mélenchon voters

41%                              45%                                                         75%

Participate in a general strike upon a call from the unions

Yes                    Among public workers                   Jean-Luc Mélenchon voters

38%                            43%                                                         77%

Leave France to settle in another country

Yes                      Muslims                                          Jean-Luc Mélenchon voters         

21%                         46%                                                             43%

Methodology: The investigation was carried out by a self-administered online questionnaire from 25- 30 September 2026 with about 9,689 people aged 18 and above, constituting a representative sample of the French population. These results describe the stated intentions given a hypothetical scenario and not actual departures.

Source: Marianne, Hadrien Mathoux, October 14, 2026

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