And so France continues to smoulder. Two weeks after the first mass demonstrations in support of increased funding for French state schools, events reached a peak on Saturday October 17. Widespread destruction of small businesses, cafés, town halls and chain shops have brought the French economy even further to catastrophe.
The scenes of mass looting, along with the burning spire of the 150-year-old Limoges town hall hardly inspire confidence in the government of President Emmanuel Macron and his prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu. A sell-off of government bonds is the latest sign of economic gloom, demonstrating the market’s concerns over France’s ability to claw back control over its public finances.
