France is undergoing riots unlike any seen in years. Ostensibly, the cause is a demand for better classroom conditions and wages.
But does this explain the massive fires and looting taking place in French buildings and elegant shops? It seems like something much more sinister is at the bottom of these riots.
The burning of the town hall in Limoges, a 19-century structure that survived two world wars, tells us that the outrage is much more profound than classroom conditions. It is anarchy. Very simple.
And the anarchy is instigated by leftists in France and immigrants. The Left is against the current French government in very vocal ways. It wants to topple the current regime at all costs.
The immigrants in France and elsewhere have proven to despise their host countries, basically for no good reason, but they are also upset by the welfare system not giving them a large enough stipend.
There were many scenes of masked men in keffiyehs rampaging throughout the riots. Many Palestinian flags were flown as well.
Jewish-owned stores were gutted up and down the streets of Paris while Muslim-owned stores were spared. This means that the rioters were well prepared in advance. They had the addresses of the Jewish stores and knew which were Muslim-owned.
So far, the reaction of President Macron has been pitiful: toothless declarations that there is no room for violence in France and that perpetrators will be arrested.
Indeed, 1,800 arrests were made, but that number is minuscule considering that the total number of protesters was about 500,000. I don’t think Macron wants to call out immigrants for fear of antagonizing the immigrant community residing in France.
The irony is that France was among the first Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state. A lot of good that did them! The same fate will one day reach Britain, Spain, Ireland, and Canada. Actually, Spain has already gotten a taste of the unrest.
In our country as well, we must be very cautious about curbing immigration so that we don’t run into the same issues. We already have Islamic protesters being coddled by Mayor Mamdani. They block streets and hold public prayer services with impunity. They openly declare their allegiance to Hamas, a terror organization. They show support for Iran, a bitter enemy of the United States. So many of their clerics declare openly that it is their mission to enter every Christian household and force them to convert.
France should put us all on notice that accommodating these immigrants will only lead to disaster. Let’s hope we have the moral leadership to do something about it. If the Democrats control the House and the Senate, the situation may prove to be hopeless. Let’s pray for a better political result.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.
