How does Alastair Campbell compare the France riots to 1968 and the gilets jaunes?

Alastair Campbell, who lives in France part of the year, calls the riots far worse than the gilets jaunes protests and the biggest disorder since 1968. Unlike 1968, he says, they have no clear political message. He lists Limoges, Marseille, Lille, Nantes and Lyon among the places hit, and notes that the police admitted losing control. He expects Marine Le Pen to benefit, and says Russian and Iranian bot networks are amplifying the unrest online.

• Campbell says Macron drew criticism for being away, and that he refused Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez's offer to resign.
• Campbell argues Britain has done better than France at integration, because French cities push poorer communities out to the banlieues.

▸In their words

“So, it's going back to 68, really, to think of anything on this scale.” Alastair Campbell · at 43:39 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-20). Read the whole episode summary →

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