“Perhaps it is now clear” why Central European states maintain strict border control to “preserve our continent as the most wonderful place in the world for our children and grandchildren”, national leaders say as the rest of the world looks on in horror at the failure of multiculturalism in France.
The Prime Minister of Poland vowed his country would not “repeat the mistakes” of other European states and pledged that his country would be “relentless” in defending its own security, while the Prime Minister of Hungary rhetorically asked whether it was yet clear why the country has the “strictest possible approach to migration”. While some have asserted that linking the extreme acts of violence to France’s migration policy is an act of “pure racism”, a growing number have come to link France’s failure to integrate generations of arrivals into the majority culture and the rioting as a matter of fact, including the leaders of the United States, Poland, and Hungary.
The comments from the Central European nations’ leaders are all the more remarkable because in the recent past both countries have gone from being governed by border control hardliner conservatives to European Union-friendly centrists, at least by their own standards.
Yet even with these electoral changes, Central Europe remains well ahead of the West in defending national distinction.
TOPSHOT – This handout screen grab from video footage released on October 18, 2026 by the SDIS 87 (Haute Vienne region fire departement) shows the destroyed Limoges city hall after being set on fire (Photo by SDIS 87 / AFP via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland is, for instance, a longstanding globalist and former President of the Council of Europe. Yet despite occasional domestic criticism about his absolute dedication to strict border control, his policies remain radically more restrictive than those in Western Europe, and rhetorically he is light-years ahead of the French government.
Mr Tusk said in a statement following a weekend where thousands were arrested, thousands of businesses looted, and hundreds of police officers were injured in France: “Poland will not repeat the mistakes of other European countries, nor will it pay for them.
“We are firmly defending the border against illegal migration, we have our own asylum policy (we do not accept applications), we deport those who break Polish law. On security issues, we will be relentless. That is what I told the leaders of Europe in Brussels.”
Hungary’s Peter Magyar, who deposed longstanding Prime Minister Viktor Orban earlier this year in an election turnaround that delighted the European left, also spoke out against France’s multiculturalism and called on Europeans to “preserve” the continent for their own grandchildren.
Responding to the “shocking videos” coming out of France showing violence, looting, and the destruction of historic buildings, Magyar said, not without a dose of implied sarcasm: “In the face of this senseless destruction and unjustified violence, perhaps it is now clear to everyone why Hungary advocates the strictest possible approach to migration, and why we will not weaken our border protection or immigration policy under any pressure.”
Noting that more European states are now adopting a Central European way of thinking and want to implement border control, Magyar added: “We hope it is not too late”.
Expressing solidarity with “the French people” — although evidently not the rioters, not even the government — he went on: “The Europe we all love is in serious trouble today. It is our responsibility, too, to help preserve our continent as the most wonderful place in the world for our children and grandchildren.”
The Global Peace Index rates France as the least peaceful country in the European Union. Their 2026 report said:
France is the least peaceful country in Western and Central Europe. France recorded a marginal deterioration of 0.5 per cent over the past year. The Safety and Security domain deteriorated by two per cent, driven by deteriorations in both violent crime and perceptions of criminality. More than one in four people in France say they do not feel safe walking alone at night, and just under one in 10 people say they have been the victim of a violent crime in the past year, the highest rate in the region. France experienced significant civil unrest in September 2025, when the ‘Block Everything’ protest movement brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets in opposition to government austerity measures, resulting in clashes with police and more than 300 arrests.
Poland recorded the largest improvement in the region and one of the largest globally on the 2026 GPI, with its overall score improving by 9.1 per cent. Poland is now ranked 22nd globally.
The comments from the Polish and Hungarian leaders join a growing body of leaders explicitly linking France’s weeks of riots with its rapidly changing demographics. As reported, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke in recent days to note that “what’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration” and “the immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country”. Mr Trump implored France to “close your borders and take control before it is too late”.
Vice President JD Vance went into greater detail, adding a warning to Americans that France’s multiculturalism riots are precisely what the Democrat Party hold in store for the U.S. should they take power. He said: “Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility. They were told it would lead to this and they didn’t listen.
“I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn. And I hope Americans are paying attention. This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country.”
