In a Fox News interview, former Clinton National Security Council staffer and lifelong Democrat Jamie Metzl discusses the October 2026 riots in France. While acknowledging an initial student protest, Metzl argues the unrest has been commandeered by far‑left extremist groups—Marxists, violent Islamists, and supporters of the French left‑wing party LFI—evidenced by Palestinian flags and looting of luxury goods. He draws parallels to the U.S. Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), warning that the same radical agenda could take hold in America if mainstream Democrats do not aggressively oppose it. Metzl also references Ro Khanna’s comments about youth hopelessness and a “new deal” for America, contrasting France’s high taxes, short work week, and generous welfare system with the U.S. situation. He likens the French unrest to the January 6 Capitol attack, noting a broader wave of organized, extremist‑driven protests spreading across Europe (Italy, Milan, etc.). Citing a Fox‑produced study that only about 30 % of protest organizers are genuine students, Metzl frames the movement as an agenda to overthrow democracies rather than a demand for school supplies. He concludes with a bipartisan appeal: Democrats, Republicans, and patriotic Americans must unite to push back against both far‑left and far‑right threats to democracy.
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Here to react is Jamie Metzl, a lifelong Democrat who served on former President Clinton's National Security Council and in the State Department under Madeleine Albright. Jamie, look, we were told this so-called protest was basically a bunch of students wanting better conditions. So, I saw the Burberry coats coming out. I saw the Dior dresses and bags. I saw one guy in one video online was pulling out a $45,000 Louis Vuitton bag. With a whole bunch of other shopping bags next to him. So what is this really all about?
Well, it may have started in some ways as a student protest, but that was long ago. And this thing has been hijacked by far-left extremists, Marxists, violent Islamists. That's why you see so many Palestinian flags. Look at the pictures that you're showing right now. This doesn't look like a bunch of students. Well, maybe they're looking for school supplies while they're looting. Better books. I mean, it's just— I think it's ridiculous. And I agree with you that the far left in France, the LFI, is a big part of the problem. And I'm a Democrat, and the far left in our country, the DSA, is really wanting to have this same future. So, while I do support mainstream Democrats, I believe the Democratic Party needs to go aggressively against our far left, because if you like what you're seeing in France, then you should support these DSA candidates who are essentially calling for the same thing here. OK.
Well, Ro Khanna, who looks like he's going to run for president in 2028, he was out there today, Jamie, throwing his support— it looked like behind the rioters in France. And he said in part, quote, this is what happens when young people lose hope in their future in America. Let us listen to our young. We need an economic and political transformation, America's next New Deal. One problem with that: doesn't France have one of the highest tax rates in Europe? They have a shorter work week than we have. They have an enormously generous social welfare system, and they have open—they had open borders for years and years. They have some controls in now, but isn't that what they always wanted?
Well, the socialist fantasy is what you have in France. So if France has done all of these things, and they have a statist system, and they're getting this, what does this new deal look like? And that's why I very aggressively responded to the exact tweet that you posted, saying, "Hey." What about the violence? And so, again, I'm a center-left Democrat, a centrist Democrat. But if we can't look at the violence in France and say, this is a dystopia, this is nothing that we want, and the DSA candidates are advocating for France, for this outcome, then we're really— we, the Democrats, and, frankly, we, America— are going to be in big trouble, because our country is served by 2 strong patriotic parties. And so, we should— significantly reject people who, who hate our country, don't want to be here, who hate our democracy and our institutions. And the Democrats need to go against our crazy far left. And frankly, I think the Republicans need to continue to push against people who are the crazy far right, like the people who attacked our Capitol on January 6th. We should all love America and protect our democracy and its institutions.
Yeah, well, the January 6th, I mean, who knows the actual numbers of the real violence? What was it, like 75 people who were really a problem. These were thousands of people across an entire country that were targeting historic sites. And we lost a lot of churches already in Europe. I mean, some, you know, some look like arson, others mysterious burnings. But it's all— you feel, you sense that this is coming fast and furious to other European countries, Jamie. Yeah. And I think it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better, if it gets better at all.
Final comment. I mean, it's already here. Look at Milan. Look at Italy. Look at other places. It's growing, and it's organized. I mean, this— Fox— Asra Nomani on Fox has shown that only about 30% of the organizations who were putting together these protests, calling for these protests, had anything to do with the students. These are radical Marxists, dangerous Islamists. And they have an agenda. And the agenda is not school supplies. It's overthrowing democracies and these kinds of systems. And again, I'm a Democrat, a lifelong Democrat. Democrats, Republicans, patriotic Americans need to hold hands and say, let's push against this madness because we don't want France here.
Jamie, your old party's gone. You gotta come over. The water's warm in our party. Jamie Metzl, great to see you. Thank you.
