Mike Johnson warns that riots in France are a sign of what democratic socialists could bring to the United States

The violent riots rocking France are a grim harbinger of what could happen in the United States if Democrats win the midterm elections, warns House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

The top leader of the House of Representatives compared the far-left groups plunging France into chaos to the socialist insurgency gripping the Democratic Party. And the next elections, he argued, are the best way to prevent the same scenes from happening again in the United States.

“France is descending into chaos because it wanted OPEN BORDERS – just like the democratic socialists in America,” Johnson posted on

VIOLENT STUDENT PROTESTS IN FRANCE ARE A WARNING FOR AMERICA: “A TALE OF CAUTION”

Far-left groups have been accused of plunging national protests into violent chaos in France over the weekend. (Lucas Sansberro/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images; Tobias Canales/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)

He blamed the riots on France having too lax rules on illegal immigration, an issue that proved crucial to Republicans’ 2024 victories here at home.

“America is not just engaged in a battle of political ideologies, it is a battle to preserve our civilization, our freedoms and our way of life. If Democrats regain control, the borders will be open and illegal criminals will invade our country, many of whom want to destroy it,” Johnson said.

More than 500,000 people took to the streets of different cities in France this weekend to protest, among other things, the high cost of living and the price of education.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana, speaks to the media after a meeting with House Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, July 15, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

French authorities said 1,800 people had been arrested across the country, including more than 800 in the capital Paris alone.

VIOLENCE Erupts IN FRANCE PROTESTS AS MACRON WARNS UNREST BEING EXPLOITED

Photos and videos showed centuries-old buildings destroyed as protesters burned public property and looted stores.

France’s centrist government has accused far-left groups of fomenting the violence.

Limoges Town Hall ‘largely lost’ after far-left rioters torch historic building amid French unrest

Pedestrians walk on a street covered in debris a day after nationwide protests against the “high cost of living” in Marseille on October 18, 2026. (Thibaud Moritz/AFP/Getty Images)

And images showing protesters waving Algerian, Palestinian and Moroccan flags have led right-wing figures to blame France’s immigration policies.

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“What’s happening in France is the progressive political agenda at its natural conclusion. When you build a massive welfare state while increasing your population through third-world migration, it’s not long before the basic social order collapses,” Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill posted on X.