A day after huge riots in France, shock and recrimination

Catherine Porter and Ségolène Le StradicNew York Times·19 Oct, 2026 01:17 AM7 mins to readPeople in France woke up on Sunday to streets littered with shattered glass and images of burned-out government buildings after the country’s largest protests in years descended into violent riots. Photo / Getty ImagesAfter anti-government protests devolved into chaos, leaders from across the political spectrum blamed one another for the unrest, even as it largely subsided. A day after some of France’s worst riots in decades, President Emmanuel Macron vowed Sunday to address some of the protesters’ demands but offered few specifics, as