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US sends warning to Americans in France amid mass protests

Fox News foreign correspondent Jeff Paul reports on nationwide protests in France, where up to 700,000 demonstrators are expected and 70,000 police officers have been deployed. The U.S. embassy is warning Americans about possible danger in traveling.

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France deployed 70,000 police officers Thursday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets for nationwide strikes and protests after left-wing groups called for a mobilization.

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In Paris, the Eiffel Tower was closed; in Lyon, French riot police fired tear gas and charged a group of protesters; and near Toulouse, a high school was set on fire, according to Reuters.

«We need to turn up in big numbers on the streets today,» the news agency quoted the head of the left-wing CGT union Sophie Binet as saying.

The demonstrations come after France was rocked by violent protests in October, which outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron blamed on «ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic.»

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FRANCE’S MACRON BLAMES PROTESTS ON ‘ULTRA-LEFT GROUPS WHOSE AIM IS TO BRING DOWN THE REPUBLIC’

A car burns as demonstrators look on during a nationwide day of strikes and protests over wages, the cost of living and public services, called by French labor unions and joined by high school and university students calling for better education conditions, in Lyon, France, on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)

An official close to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that by early Thursday, around 270,000 people had joined the union action in 180 rallies outside the capital.

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About a third of France’s high schools were closed or unable to operate, some because of student blockades and others because teachers were on strike, The Associated Press reported.

French high school students, officials and protesters face off with French riot police as they block a street with garbage bins during high school blockades ahead of a demonstration in Paris on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Nuñez said the 70,000 police officers being deployed are backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters.

Authorities in the western region of Brittany also said «masked individuals» tried to block roads in Rennes, while some committed «serious acts of violence,» including throwing steel balls at police.

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AMERICANS WARNED OF VIOLENT PROTESTS AS MAJOR TOURIST DESTINATION FACES SHUTDOWN THREAT

Protesters carry a banner and Communist flags during a nationwide day of strikes and protests in Lyon, France, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)

France’s main unions warned that the country is on the brink of recession and that layoff plans are multiplying.

«Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity… everything’s going up except wages and pensions,» they said in a joint statement, according to The Associated Press.

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Riot police detain a protester during a protest in Lyon, France, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (Laurent Cipriani/AP)

The U.S. Embassy had issued an urgent security alert for Americans in France ahead of the demonstrations, warning travelers to brace for severe disruptions, sudden curfews and the potential for violence.

The rallies come as the campaign to succeed Macron as president next May heats up, with political parties seeking to capitalize on the movement.

A member of the French gendarmerie shoots a tear gas canister during a demonstration in Nantes, France, on Nov. 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, while far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is the favorite to win, the AP reported.

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Fox News Digital’s Kelly McGreal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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france, world protests, europe, emmanuel macron, world

Se desarrolla la sesión extraordinaria en la Cámara de Diputados de Paraguay en la que se trata el juicio político al presidente , Santiago Peña, por la crisis bancaria del Ueno Bank, vinculado al mandatario, que dejó a sus ahorristas sin acceso inmediato a sus fondos. El presidente de la Cámara, Raúl Latorre, dijo en cambio que Peña “está convencido de su inocencia” y que “quiere dar batalla”.

El gobernante Partido Colorado de Paraguay respaldó el pedido de juicio político a Peña. El espacio liderado por el expresidente Horacio Cartes adelantó en un comunicado en X: “Acompañamos el juicio político al presidente de la República, Santiago Peña, a los efectos de volver a reencauzar la institucionalidad de la República”.

Previo al inicio de la sesión legisladores de diversas bancadas se unieron en el grito de ‘Fuera Santi’ en el recinto parlamentario, y calentaron el clima del debate de juicio político a Peña, en medio de un escándalo político y financiero, con fuerte impacto social por el “corralito” a más de tres millones de ahorristas.

Duras críticas del oficialismo y la oposición contra Santiago Peña, en el debate del pedido de juicio político al presidente de Paraguay

El diputado colorado, Alejandro Aguilera, confirmó en el plenario que votará a favor de la acusación contra Peña: “Ante los hechos punibles que probablemente se cometieron en Ueno, ante la imputación, no puedo fingir demencia y hacer como si fuera que no está pasando absolutamente nada”.

Aguilera, que renunció a la vicejefatura de la bancada oficialista, dijo que tomó una “decisión profunda” y que acompañará el juicio político porque considera que “lo correcto es estar del lado de la gente”.

El diputado opositor, Raúl Benítez, advirtió sobre el crecimiento patrimonial “sin justificación” de Peña, lo acusó de destrozar la institucionalidad del país “para hacer plata él y su grupo” y lo trató de “delincuente de saco y corbata”.

Benítez planteó: “Hay recordar a todas las familias, a todos los ciudadanos trabajadores, a los funcionarios que están acá, a los que hacen delivery, que hoy no saben dónde está su plata. “Peña no se tiene que ir a su casa, se tiene ir a Tacumbú (donde funciona una penitenciaría)”.

El liberal, Rodrigo Blanco, uno de los principales impulsores del juicio político a Peña, alertó sobre un “quiebre de toda la confianza de la ciudadanía” en el sistema financiero», y criticó: “Hoy le toca al pueblo paraguayo pagar esta joda”.

El legislador, Mauricio Espínola, oficialista disidente, cuestionó: “El pueblo paraguayo perdió la confianza en quien tenía que cuidar su plata, tenemos que recuperar hoy esa confianza, no mañana ni la próxima semana. Tenemos que cerrar esta historia de terror, donde el presidente usó toda su lapicera para su beneficio propio. Peña es el responsable de la mayor estafa al pueblo paraguayo”.

Otro liberal, Enrique Buzarquis, dijo que “lo único gigante que va a quedar es la mayor estafa del siglo en la República del Paraguay”. El diputado tildó a Peña de “sicario de guante blanco” que terminó con los sueños de los paraguayos que depositaron su plata en Ueno Bank. El legislador ironizó con el lema del “Paraguay gigante” que Peña impulsó desde el inicio de su gestión.

Las vinculaciones de Santiago Peña con el escándalo con el banco Ueno en Paraguay

Peña quedó envuelto esta semana en una tormenta política después de que el Banco Central del Paraguay (BCP) ordenara la intervención y disolución de Ueno, un banco que tiene como clientes a cerca de la mitad de la población, de 6,1 millones personas en total, luego de detectar que su índice de solvencia había caído por debajo del 50% del mínimo requerido.

La medida derivó en el cierre de sucursales y el cese de operaciones, mientras miles de ahorradores intentaban movilizar sus cuentas. En el banco están depositados millonarios recursos de entidades públicas. La entidad además patrocinaba equipos locales de fútbol y eventos como la etapa en el país del Mundial de Rally.

Peña fue vinculado con la entidad porque tenía acciones en Ueno Holding, el conglomerado que agrupa a la desaparecida institución bancaria, aunque su presidente, Juan Manuel Gustale -actualmente detenido-, dijo que no tenía nexo alguno.

Paraguay, Santiago Peña

In the lead-up to the November midterms, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) put its support behind California’s Proposition 40, a measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires in the state. 

Although the secretary of state’s election results show it on the path to defeat as of Wednesday afternoon, the DSA’s support for the policy has created a flashpoint for larger discussions about socialism’s redistributive aims and the capital flight critics say could follow.

«In their mind, every tax they do is some attempt to get money from people who create wealth and move it to the state,» Richard Stern, an economics scholar with Advancing American Freedom (AAF), said in an interview with Digital.

The DSA’s stance on Proposition 40 has also brought it into conflict with other Democratic figures, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who opposed it.

SHOCKING PERCENTAGE OF DEMOCRATS IDENTIFY AS ‘DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS’ ACCORDING TO NEW POLL: ‘TOXIC POLICIES’

The proposition would have applied a 5% tax on assets like businesses, securities, art, collectibles and intellectual property while excluding select pensions, real estate and retirement accounts.

To prevent billionaires from simply leaving the state, Proposition 40 was designed to retroactively apply to billionaires who were residents of California on Jan. 1, 2026.

On the website for its California chapter, the group offered a PowerPoint slideshow supporters could use to argue its merits.

«We have the money in California to pay for the quality schools and healthcare that we need. It just needs to be transferred from the wrong pockets to the right ones. We can do that by taxing the rich,» the slideshow reads.

The DSA argued the policy would help cover up to a projected $100 billion shortfall in federal funding for the state’s Medi-Cal program that provides health insurance for low-income individuals, seniors and people with disabilities. The proposition also outlined that 90% of the generated revenue would go to healthcare, while the remaining 10% would be set aside for education, food assistance and administration of the tax.

As part of its argument in favor of the policy, the DSA framed it as a scaled-up version of something that already exists: a progressive tax, a kind of tax that scales relative to income.

«It calls for a temporary 5% wealth tax on just 250 Californians — the very richest people in the state — who together own $2 trillion in wealth,» its materials explain.

«Let’s be clear: if the Billionaire Tax passes, none of the billionaires will actually lose money. They have been averaging a growth rate of 7 or 8 percent per year in their wealth. Thus, a 5% hit doesn’t even cut into what they have; it just slightly slows down the growth of that wealth.»

But to experts like Stern, the AAF economist, the policy reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of wealth.

«The left looks at a billionaire, and they assume that they’re sitting on $10 billion, $100 billion in cash. I hate to break it to them: There’s no cash,» Stern said.

«They have no idea that we’re talking about a trillion-dollar company, we’re talking about a trillion dollars’ worth of factories and warehouses and delivery trucks and machinery.»

LET SOCIALISTS ROB FROM THE RICH 100%, AND YOU STILL WON’T BE ABLE TO PAY THE BILLS

Notably, Newsom has said he is opposed to the measure, arguing it would put California at a competitive disadvantage.

In an interview with Digital, Newsom cited opposition from a number of different groups.

«The firefighters opposed it. The teachers opposed it. Planned Parenthood opposed it. The vast majority of labor opposes it. I think the majority of Californians oppose it. So, we all have our reasons why,» Newsom said ahead of the election.

«I don’t think it’s a good idea to do [it] at a state level. It’s a badly written initiative. It focuses just on one part of the state’s budget. It’s one-time money and the impact is already being felt. People have left the state.»

Instead, Newsom called on voters to adopt a poison pill countermeasure. Proposition 42 was designed to prohibit new state taxes on personal property and restrict certain retroactive taxes. That measure looks to be on track to succeed.

Even so, Newsom noted that his views on a 5% tax might change if implemented at the federal level.

«Looking at that from a national prism, very different conversation than a state-by-state prism. That’s been the debate in California. I think the majority of Californians see that distinction even though they absolutely believe that we need a new tax bracket in this country,» Newsom said.

Stern noted that Newsom’s openness to considering such a policy nationally comes with many of the same difficulties, but on an international scale.

‘CASTRO’S PLAYBOOK’: EX-AG WARNS DOZENS OF CONGRESSIONAL BILLS ARE PUSHING SOCIALIST IDEAS

«You can more easily leave California, but you could give up American citizenship and move abroad,» Stern said.

«[It] gets back to the old half-joke about communism and the wall in Berlin, which is, as Reagan said, they build walls that keep people in where normally we build walls to keep people out.»

When asked what distinguishes Proposition 40 from a simple tax increase, Stern pointed back to the policy’s implications for businesses, in his view, the main source of most billionaires’ wealth.

«We’re taking the means of production out of the hands of people that built those businesses, that manage those businesses, and giving them to Bernie Sanders and AOC and politicians to run them,» Stern said, referring to two of the country’s most well-known congressional figures who have received backing from the DSA in the past.

«That’s socialism.»

politics, socialism, california, gavin newsom, taxes