France has seen a surge of unrest in recent weeks, following student walkouts over reported shortages in school resources and later incidents of street violence, including vandalism and vehicles set alight.
DotDotNews spoke to Nicolas de Losisy, a French national and head of the business network Global Future Nexus (GFN), who said the demonstrations began with students complaining about "too few desks" and "too few teachers," before domestic actors politicised them to capitalize on public anger.
De Losisy went further, alleging that a much larger force was at play. He claimed the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has a long track record of turning social grievances into disorder. He said the tactics he believes are being used in France resemble those seen during Hong Kong's 2019 unrest.
According to de Losisy, one alleged method is to "pay a crowd" to provoke confrontations and escalate clashes with police. He described those on the front lines as "doing dirty work" for external forces. European-level politics could be exploiting the unrest. He said he believes the turmoil creates an opening for broader power centralisation within the European Union.
He concluded that France's strains—ranging from public services under pressure to broader fiscal constraints—have created a combustible environment. "With local politics and external forces fanning the flames," he said, European societies could be approaching what he called the end of a "social cycle," adding that he is uncertain what comes next.
(The views expressed by the interviewee do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.)
(Reporter: Lynn Zhou; Cameraman, Video editing: Lynn Zhou)
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