Forget the riots Frances downfall will come from its completely broken finances

The English say all bad ideas come from France, but that is unfair to the Germans.The scenes of riot and destruction from France may arise from our Gallic friends’ particular circumstances and peculiar habits, but they reflect Europe’s general malaise — one to which the United States is not immune.The “French intifada” is overthrowing the icons of France.

The images are as memorable as the menu at Maxim’s restaurant.A statue of Joan of Arc is defiled with the Palestinian flag.

A bust of Marianne, the icon of the French Revolution, is cast to the ground in the trashed city hall of Marseilles.The 19th-century town hall of Limoges goes up in flames.The statistics are as stunning as Maxim’s prices.

More than 2,400 arrests on last Saturday alone.A thousand police and gendarmes injured.

Hundreds of businesses looted in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.Schools set on fire.

Rioters throwing roof tiles on police like they’re in “Les Misérables.”Another set of statistics is as shocking as the tab for a detour into Maxim’s cellars.And this bill has yet to land.

Though the mob may riot, the real damage will come from the markets.France has the second-biggest economy in the Eurozone.Its GDP shrunk by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2026.

It hit 0% in the second quarter, then grew 0.1% in the third.France’s CAC 40 is the only major European stock exchange to lose value this year.France’s public debt is 119% of its GDP.

In the European Union as a whole, it’s 82.9%.Only Greece and Italy, locked by Brussels in punishing repayment schedules pour encourager les autres, have worse debt problems.To meet its welfare budgets, France issues 10-year treasury bonds.

Foreign investors hold about 60% of France’s debt.As the market loses confidence in France’s future, the premium on French bonds is rising.

It’s now at 4.78%, the highest yield in 24 years.High yields mean higher borrowing costs for the French government.Combine that with a paralyzed ec...