French footballing legend Emmanuel Petit has called for migrants who do not love his country to ‘go back to where [they] came from’.
What started as largely peaceful protests over the last few weeks over the state of education descended into anarchy across the nation. Masked and hooded thugs wreaked havoc, smashing windows and setting fire to cars.
Following days of violence across France over the weekend, the former Arsenal midfielder, 56, took to Instagram to share a nearly four-minute-long video on the matter.
Unleashing on the lawless mobs, he said: ‘Their cowardice is what unites them. They destroy everything, they burn everything, they break everything, they plunder, they steal, they hurt, they aggress, they insult.
Defending ordinary, law-abiding citizens, he urged people not to conflate the rioters with those who had legitimate issues: ‘You shouldn’t mix up the people who protested yesterday, and I understand them strongly because I too am more than fed up of being pressed like a lemon on a fiscal plan.’
The 1998 World Cup winner said that while he welcomed peace-loving foreigners coming to France, he said those who hate the country should simply leave.
Petit said: ‘I love my country, I love all foreigners who love my country and who want to integrate.
‘But all the others, starting with the French who do not wish precisely that France continues to be what it is, go back from where you came, we don’t need you.’
French footballing legend Emmanuel Petit (pictured) has called for migrants who do not love his country to ‘go back to where [they] came from’
Protesters clash with police near Place de la Republique in Paris during a protest against austerity on October 18, 2026
He also called out those born in France who were rioting: ‘And all those who were born with a French passport, break yourselves [get lost], we don’t want you anymore.’
Petit was scornful of French president Emmanuel Macron and the rest of the government, blasting them for not doing their jobs properly: ‘To all these people, I have a message to give you: be very careful about what you are going to do, what you are going to say, and how you are going to protect the honest citizens in France.
‘Today, there’s no money for the police, there’s no money for the army, there’s no money for the hospitals, there’s no money for the schools. Bizarrely, the only thing that works in France, is taxes.’
In an attempt to cut off the violence, French PM Sebastien Lecornu announced fresh curfews today, adding that the measures introduced in several cities the previous day had ‘helped keep the night calm’.
Accused of failing to anticipate and contain the street violence, the government has pledged to restore order, and had announced partial curfews in Paris and some other cities on Monday.
‘Targeted curfews have contributed to calm overnight,’ Mr Lecornu said.
‘Tonight new curfews will be decided where the situation requires it. These decisions will be made on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors,’ he said.
Police confirmed the night had passed without major incidents across France.
Several cities, including Paris, the southwestern city of Bordeaux and Nice on the French Riviera, introduced partial curfews on Monday in response to urban unrest that followed weeks of student demonstrations over poor learning conditions in high schools.
While some restrictions, such as those in Paris, initially applied only for the night from Monday to Tuesday, others, particularly in Bordeaux and Nice, were set to remain in force for several days.
During the night, a helicopter flew over the French capital’s Place de la Republique, one of the epicentres of the unrest, sweeping a powerful searchlight across the square to monitor compliance with the curfew.
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A French police officer extinguish burning bicycles during a demonstration against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris on October 17, 2026
A woman rides a bicycle past a burning barricade near the Tuileries Garden with the Eiffel tower in the background on October 17, 2026
A man throws a plastic traffic cone through a burning barricade amid clashes during a day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris on October 17, 2026
In Lyon, despite a ban on demonstrations, around 500 people gathered on Monday evening outside the tourism office that was set on fire, to show support for shopkeepers affected by looting, according to organisers.
The word ‘LYON’ had been spelled out on the ground with candles.
A banner hung on a fence nearby read ‘Anti-Rioters Lyon’ and ‘Doucet Resign’, referring to Green mayor Gregory Doucet, an AFP journalist said.
Under pressure, the government scheduled another series of emergency meetings on Tuesday, including talks involving representatives of major social media platforms.
Finance Minister Roland Lescure pledged support measures for shopkeepers and craftspeople.
Patrick Martin, the head of France’s Medef business lobby group, on Tuesday accused the state of having ‘failed’ during the urban unrest that hit at least 3,000 businesses, according to preliminary estimates.
