Éric Fassin says French student protests reflect an illiberal turn, not urban violence

French student protests have been labeled “urban violence” by the Macron government, according to recent reporting. In a discussion hosted by Jennie Shin, sociologist Éric Fassin—professor at Université Paris 8—said elections are important but only the beginning of democracy. He described the protests as a growing challenge to socioeconomic policy and an “illiberal turn” in government, linking the treatment of working‑class, racialized youth to broader restrictions on dissent.

Fassin argued that racism and democratic participation are central to the unrest, contesting the tendency to assign blame solely to the left and situating the government’s response within a wider debate over the normalization of oppressive measures and the far right.