To riot is an inherently French tradition. The word itself is derived from the Old French word “riote” which was used as far back as the 13th century.

More than 500 years later the word would aptly describe the French Revolution, which brought a violent end to feudalism in the country and became woven into the French identity.

That same mentality of large-scale riots and protests has remained an enduring part of French culture and led to economic, social and political change in the centuries since.

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Even the French national anthem La Marseillaise, in translation, cries: “Grab your weapons, citizens! Form your battalions! Let us march! Let us march!

“Tremble, tyrants, and you, traitors, the disgrace of all groups, tremble!”

Despite the semi-regularity of protests, the most recent wave of demonstrations to sweep across the country have become a global talking point — in part due to immigrants and the children of immigrants taking part.

A student holds a French flag during a protest against under-resourced schools in Paris on October 8. Credit: Aurelien Morissard/AP

Far-right politician Marine Le Pen — the current front-runner for French president in the 2027 elections — blamed left-wing politicians and immigrants for sparking the protests and causing vast amounts of damage.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has also used the protests to sound the alarm on immigration, saying in a post to social media: “France is burning. End mass migration or the same will come to Australia.”

“I think that’s, honestly, just silly and nonsense,” Sydney University senior lecturer in French studies Lea Vuong told 7NEWS.com.au.

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Student-led protest amid poor schooling conditions

Vuong said the accusations of the protests being caused by immigration was “just plain untrue”.

“If you look at any photographs, the students are actually protesting (and) you’ll see that they reflect the entire range of diversity of friends you have,” she said.

Vuong explained a powder keg had been growing in French school secondary schools with many students resentful after having outgoing president Emmanuel Macron as the leader of the country for most of their lives.

Smoke rises as protesters gather during a demonstration against the high cost of living in Paris, France, on October 17, 2026. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images

Concerns over being young people overlooked by Macron’s centrist government — particularly stances on the Israel-Gaza war and the use of public funds — were exacerbated as school cuts led to students reporting understaffing, overcrowding and deteriorating facilities at schools.

That discontent was set off at the Lycee Antoine-de-Saint-Exupery in southeast Paris on September 21, when students and teachers began the first protest over a lack of resources.

Students elsewhere took notice and the demonstrations slowly spread toward the end of the month before exploding across the country on October 1 as university students and adults joined.

Footage and images shared to social media showed fires had been started on the side of streets while police used tear gas on protesters among other crowd-control methods.

The most violent images came from October 17 as student organisations joined nationwide demonstrations against the cost of living — leading to an estimated 800,000 people marching in Paris, and thousands more across the country.

Windows were smashed, businesses looted and iconic statues such as the Monument A La Republique were defaced in the name of the protest.

Clashes occur between protesters throwing projectiles and police responding with tear gas during a demonstration in Paris, France. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images

Officials say 1000 police officers were injured in just one day, with more than 2000 — mostly youths— being arrested in the days following.

While those images also showed young protesters unveiling flags from foreign countries such as Algeria — a former French colony — Vuong said the historical attitude to protesting “transcends social and ethnic differences”.

She described protesting as a form of “rite of passage” for many young people in France, particularly Paris.

“Obviously not all young people protest, but it’s a cultural thing and sort of the way in which you enter your political consciousness.”

Similarities to historic protests

Claims of immigrant-led protests also lose weight when looking at demonstrations in the past decades, Vuong added.

One particular example are the May 68 protests, named after when they began, which were sparked by student demonstrations against university conditions and government repression.

Images of the protests bare striking similarities to the most recent demonstrations, with young people climbing atop and defacing the Monument A La Republique while engaging in street battles with police.

The May 68 movement also swelled to encapsulate most of the country and led to the largest general strike in the country’s history involving about 10million workers — about two thirds of the workforce.

The protests bare a striking similarity to the May 68 student-led demonstrations which have been mythologised in French culture. Credit: Keystone-France/Getty Images

The protests grew so large that then-president Charles de Gaulle was forced to flee to Germany before calling a snap election to avoid a revolution.

While de Gaulle won the election, only to resign a year later, the protest helped spur on massive cultural, educational and social changes not just in France but across the world.

That success has helped mythologise the protests among the French, with those involved describing themselves as a “68-er” while protesters in October held signs saying “It’s May 68 again”.

“The idea is that really those protests led to actual, massive political and cultural changes,” Vuong said.

“There’s also in that myth the idea that protest can be an effective way to be an active citizen. You can actually change things.”

A protester holds a sign reading ‘Generation 67 relives May 68’ in Paris, France, on October 13. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images

She added it is unlikely the current protests will be reinforced by an action as large as a general strike because of weaker unions and a more diverse workforce but noted it could still lead to similarly sweeping changes in the election.

“Most of the protesters will be 18, or just above, so for them it will be their first time voting for the first new president in (their) living memory,” Vuong said.

“It’ll be really interesting to see what they do if they actually go and vote because in France, unlike Australia, you can decide not to vote.

“It’d be really interesting to see as well how they participate in that key democratic process.”