The High Court victory of Epping Forest District Council has made news in France. The decision to temporarily block migrants from being housed in The Bell Hotel was covered by newspapers such as Le Monde and Le Figaro.

The latter provided some context to the growing tension in England, noting that the migrants in Epping are just a few of the estimated 32,000 migrants housed in hotels ‘at the expense of the British taxpayer.’

In the years since most journalists have shied away from reporting on the ongoing practice of housing migrants in hotels

Earlier this month the cover story of a weekly current affairs magazine in France, JDD News, was devoted to the growing disquiet of Europe’s silent majority at mass immigration. The article was inspired by the protests in Epping but also namechecked the anti-migrant demonstrations in Ireland, Poland and Spain. ‘Across Europe, citizens are taking matters into their own hands in the face of immigration they consider uncontrolled and insecurity that is no longer a fantasy,’ it explained.

One country is an exception to the rule. There have been no mass protests in France, which one might consider surprising given the country’s reputation for street demonstrations.

Since Emmanuel Macron came to power in 2017 France has undergone record levels of legal and illegal immigration. It’s estimated that there around 900,000 illegal immigrants in France while in 2024 a record 2.8 million visas were issued, a 16.8 per cent hike on the previous year. The vast majority of arrivals come from four countries: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.

As in Britain, accommodating this vast number of newcomers is a........

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