“Un parfum de guerre civile” – or “whiff of civil war” – is how the centre-right French newspaper Le Figaro described the atmosphere in Britain in August 2024. The streets of the north east of England and beyond had been consumed by angry and destructive rioters in the wake of the Southport killings.

Rich, I thought, coming from the French. Burning upturned bins and firing missiles at law enforcement is just as Gallic as burgundy, rillettes and smoking. A nation built on enlightenment values and the rationality of Montesquieu sometimes succumbs to a destructive and often bloodthirsty id.

I recommend The Rest is History’s recent series on the French Revolution for anyone in search of a refresher.

But even given France’s state of semi-perma rioting, the recent civil disobedience stands out. Partially because – not being a rural French working class business owner – I found it hard to relate to the gilets jaunes, to properly parse their politics. But mainly because the source complaint of the protesters now is something universally understood; something central not just to the social health of the French republic but to the values of the West. That is the state of education.

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