As a Romanian living in France, what I witnessed this weekend was not a typical French protest. Having called France my home long enough to see my share of street movements, I can tell when a line has been crossed. ​Burning cars, trash cans, looting, street blockades, and clashes with police are, unfortunately, routine. What is new is the direct targeting of symbolic civic and cultural institutions. The sheer intensity of violence between demonstrators and the state signals a dangerous shift, yet the reaction online is a collective shrug. ​Dismissing this as "standard French riot" is a mistake. It blinds us to how legitimate domestic anger is being actively leveraged by foreign hybrid operations (including russia). Outside actors are injecting radical anti-military slogans and polarizing anti-immigration rhetoric into the public debate around student marches, weaponizing digital polarization to split society ahead of the 2027 presidential election. ​France has rarely felt this divided. This is no longer just local turmoil, and its fallout won't end at the French border. 📸: Matthieu Rondel