France has reached the “dead end of socialism” as violent protests spread across the country, a French artificial intelligence entrepreneur said Friday.
Speaking on “The Faulkner Focus,” Brivael Le Pogam blamed decades of left-wing policies for what he described as growing unrest and declining public services in France.
“Right now we are just seeing the dead end of socialism,” Le Pogam, CEO and co-founder of Argil AI, said.
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“It’s super sad, and it’s purely chaotic right now. And I think, so, basically there is a lot of different causes, but mainly for me, it’s the consequences of socialism,” he added.
The demonstrations began with students expressing frustration over conditions at their schools and the quality of education. Protests have since spread across France, with some turning violent and leading to looting and thousands of arrests.
On Saturday, thousands marched in Orléans, southwest of Paris, to protest what they described as fascism, while other demonstrators gathered in the capital. French authorities said they planned to deploy 70,000 police officers ahead of additional demonstrations to prevent a repeat of the destruction and looting seen the previous weekend.
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Le Pogam said that despite France’s universal healthcare system, patients in some parts of the country face lengthy waits to see a doctor or receive certain medical services.
“We are paying through taxes, through the salaries for that. But years by years, there is some zone in France where you need to wait, for example, one year to get a doctor,” he said.
Le Pogam argued that government control has also contributed to declining standards in education and other public institutions.
“Basically like the education, everything touched by the states, it’s just crumbled and becoming bad and bad year by year,” he added.
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French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that the government would move to prohibit what he called “illegitimate” protests. He also accused “ultra-left groups” of fueling the unrest, saying their goal was to “bring down the Republic.”
President Donald Trump also expressed concern about the unrest and questioned whether the NFL should proceed with Sunday’s scheduled regular-season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, just outside Paris.
“I would have said the NFL could have probably postponed that match if you want to know. Because France is really in trouble,” Trump told reporters Friday. “That’s what happens when you go left. That’s what happens when you allow unlimited numbers of people into your country from very unfriendly countries.”
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Le Pogam also criticized the government’s response to the demonstrations, arguing that authorities have a responsibility to protect the public.
“The crazy thing is the government say to the people to protect themselves and for me, it’s crazy,” he said. “It’s literally the — it’s the fate of the states to protect people, and we are seeing that everywhere.”