French football icon Emmanuel Petit condemns arson, looting and warns Macron to ‘protect honest citizens’

French football legend Emmanuel Petit has lashed out at violent rioters who have destroyed towns across France, telling lawless agitators who hate the country to “go back where you came from”.

The 1998 World Cup winner took to Instagram on Sunday to express his “deep anger” after the protests turned into total madness with cars set on fire, shops looted and streets vandalized. More than 2,400 rioters have already been jailed nationwide, Fox News Digital reported.

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What started as protests against school policy and the cost of living quickly turned into a full-blown street war over the weekend. Masked crowds smashed store windows and set cars on fire, forcing riot police to fire tear gas in Paris and Marseille while French President Emmanuel Macron admitted feeling “both anger and shame”.

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The ex-Arsenal star did not dance around, unleashing himself on the anarchic crowds that swept through the neighborhoods.

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

This photograph shows a fire burning and destroying the city hall after a group of individuals forced entry into the building during an ongoing protest action against the “high cost of living”, in Limoges, central France, on October 17, 2026, as part of a national call for mobilization bringing together various groups expressing their anger: former “Yellow Vests”, high school and university students, climate activists and even farmers. After weeks of student protests, France will face wider nationwide protests on October 17, 2026 over the cost of living, setting the stage for a potentially difficult six months before a presidential election. A police source told AFP that authorities estimated that nearly 200,000 people could participate, including 40,000 in Paris.

Emmanuel Petit of RMC Sport comments on the UEFA Champions League Group G match between Olympique Lyonnais and RB Leipzig at Groupama Stadium on December 10, 2019, in Lyon, France. (Getty Images)

Emmanuel Petit of Arsenal Legends during the Arsenal Foundation charity match between Arsenal Legends and Milan Glorie at the Emirates Stadium on September 3, 2016, in London, England. (Getty Images)

“They are thugs because their cowardice is what unites them,” he lambasted. “They destroy everything, they burn everything, they break everything, they pillage, they steal, they hurt, they attack, they insult.”

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He compared the criminal mobs in the streets to honest, hardworking taxpayers who are fed up with soaring inflation and crushing government policies.

“We must not confuse the people who demonstrated yesterday, and I understand them perfectly because I too am more than tired of being squeezed like a lemon on a fiscal level,” said Petit, defending working families who get up early, pay taxes and respect the law while being abandoned by the state.

Emmanuel Petit looks on before the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg match between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona at Groupama Stadium on February 19, 2019, in Lyon, France. (Getty Images)

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Petit established immigration law, welcoming foreigners who respect France while telling agitators who hate the nation that no one wants them.

“I love my country, I love all the foreigners who love my country and who want to integrate,” Petit said.

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“But everyone else, starting with the French who do not want France to continue to be what it is, go back where you come from, we don’t need you,” he warned.

Petit went even further, directly attacking local radicals and native rioters participating in the violence: “And all those who were born with a French passport, get lost, we don’t want you anymore.”

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The soccer star didn’t let Macron off the hook either, blasting France’s political elite and demanding that they actually do their job to protect law-abiding citizens.

A protester watches a fire burn during a demonstration in Paris, France, Saturday, October 17, 2026. Rioters attacked French public buildings and looted stores in cities including Paris as demonstrations against the high cost of living drew more than half a million people, highlighting the country’s challenges ahead of next year’s presidential elections. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Frenchman Emmanuel Petit celebrates after scoring the third goal against Brazil in the FIFA World Cup final on July 12, 1998, in Paris. (Offside via Getty Images)

“I am addressing the political class, starting with our dear president, Mr. Macron, and all political classes,” Petit said. “To all these people, I have a message to give you: be very careful about what you are going to do, what you are going to say, and how you are going to protect honest citizens in France.”

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Petit concluded by castigating a failing government apparatus that taxes citizens into oblivion while starving law enforcement and essential services.

“Because today there is no money for the police, there is no money for the army, there is no money for hospitals, there is no money for schools,” Petit said. “Strangely, the only thing that works in France is taxes.”

Emmanuel Petit of France 98 reacts during the warm-up before the friendly match between France 98 and FIFA 98 at U Arena on June 12, 2018 in Nanterre, France. (Getty Images)

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