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BBC “News at Ten” host Jane Hill introduced a Sunday report detailing widespread riots across France, where thousands were arrested and nearly 1,000 law enforcement and emergency personnel were injured, before the network’s Paris correspondent described the demonstrations as “mostly peaceful” while footage showed burning cars, looted businesses and violent clashes with police.
Hill outlined the scale of the destruction before introducing Paris correspondent James Waterhouse’s report on the nationwide unrest.
“Across the country, nearly a thousand police officers and firefighters were injured. The Interior Ministry says nearly 2,400 people were arrested,” Hill said.
BBC Paris correspondent James Waterhouse described nationwide protests in France as “mostly peaceful” while the network aired footage of burning vehicles, looted businesses and violent clashes with police.
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Despite the figures, Waterhouse characterized the demonstrations as largely peaceful while reporting on the approximately half-million people who gathered across France to protest rising living costs and deteriorating public services.
“In Paris and beyond, half a million people had filled cities across France to protest over the future of their country. They were mostly peaceful, but as we saw in the capital, in the wings were those who wanted to take advantage of the disorder,” Waterhouse said.
The BBC defended its coverage in a statement to Fox News Digital, maintaining that its reporting accurately reflected the scale of the unrest while distinguishing between peaceful demonstrators and those responsible for the violence.
“No one watching, reading or listening to BBC News coverage of the France protests and riots can be in any doubt as to what was happening – there is coverage of the fires, the looting and violence,” the spokesperson said. “James Waterhouse and the team of reporters in France over the weekend gave broader context to the protests and riots – making the point that as well as the destructive scenes, several hundred thousand people were on the streets in peaceful protest, and those carrying out the violence and looting were a small fraction of that number.”
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the widespread riots after nearly 2,400 people were arrested and almost 1,000 police officers and firefighters were injured during the unrest, as of Sunday. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
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The White House responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the escalating violence in France, a key U.S. ally, by pointing to two Truth Social posts from President Donald Trump addressing the unrest.
In his Sunday post, Trump blamed immigration for the violence and urged French authorities to close the country’s borders.
“France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” Trump said.
The president doubled down on his immigration concerns in a Monday morning post, calling for immediate border restrictions.
“The migrants have taken over France. They must CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST! President DJT.”
President Donald Trump warned that “France is burning” in a Truth Social post after the White House directed Fox News Digital to his statements regarding the violent protests sweeping the U.S. ally. (Matthieu Rondel/AFP/Getty Images)
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The BBC’s footage showed masked rioters clashing with police, setting vehicles ablaze and ransacking businesses, including a wine shop and an electric bicycle store. Waterhouse acknowledged that the destruction was being attributed to individuals exploiting the larger demonstrations.
“The shops that have been hit have been completely gutted. Like this wine shop has been looted from top to bottom,” Waterhouse said.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence during a televised national address Sunday, distinguishing between demonstrators with legitimate grievances and those responsible for widespread destruction.
“Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it. Tonight, we all feel anger and shame,” Macron said.
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The violence prompted French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez to offer his resignation Monday, which Macron rejected. Nunez acknowledged that police had lost control in several major cities as the government considered additional security.
According to a report Monday by Agence France-Presse, more than 2,500 people have been arrested, nearly 1,000 security personnel have been injured and at least 3,000 businesses were affected by the unrest. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called for localized curfews to restore public order.
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Fox News Digital reported that rioters also set fire to the historic Limoges Town Hall, built in 1883, causing extensive damage to the landmark.
Waterhouse maintained that the violence was largely the work of individuals exploiting the demonstrations rather than those who had gathered to protest rising living costs and deteriorating public services.
“Few believe this was at the hands of the genuine protesters, but down to an opportunistic minority who came in and sought to rob and cause carnage,” Waterhouse said.