# Who Is Really Behind the Protests in France? Plus. . . Canonical: https://brew.new/templates/substack/who-is-really-behind-the-protests-in-france-plus Brand: substack.com Category: newsletter ![Preview of Who Is Really Behind the Protests in France? Plus. . .](https://cdn.brew.new/email-preview-1d793269be66ce92-tracking_r57vjt78q39yw8dhf9nys3p5m18gs1ef-1792668096275.png) ## Email content Forwarded this email? Subscribe for more The Front PageThursday, 10.22.2026View in App Upgrade to Listen Get the whole story. Join now.Who Is Really Behind the Protests in France? Plus. . . Harvard Medical School says obesity isn’t unhealthy. The Ohio locals who say drug rehab is destroying their city. And more. Rioters protest on the streets of Paris during nationwide demonstrations across France, on October 17, 2026. (Ibrahim Ezzat/Anadolu via Getty Images) By The Free Press It’s Thursday, October 22. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Frannie Block on the Ohio city that has become the “rehab capital of the world.” Brad Polumbo attends Harvard Medical School’s “fat liberation” conference. Elliot Ackerman on how AI could send us back to the Dark Ages. And much more. But first: The radical network driving the disorder in France. In the immediate wake of the violent protests in France over the weekend, the overriding reaction was shock. And understandably so: Shopkeepers saw their livelihoods destroyed overnight; innocent bystanders were threatened by protesters; iconic symbols of the French Republic were toppled and burned with impunity; and one of the great nations of the West seemed, all at once, to teeter on the brink of collapse. But amid all the destruction, one question has gone largely unanswered: Who really organized these protests? If you believe it was simply high school students fed up with teacher shortages and poor classrooms, you would be sorely mistaken. Rather, “the protests of October 17—and the ones planned for this coming weekend,” writes French investigative journalist Nora Bussigny, “were meticulously prepared, organized, and justified by a concerted coalition of Islamists, antifascists, and radical environmentalists.” Nora spent more than a year undercover in France’s anti-Israel movement, and today, she walks us through the messages, posts, and funding streams that reveal the radical network behind the protests—a red-green alliance that’s become increasingly familiar across the West in recent years. “What we are seeing in France is only a symptom of a much larger problem,” she writes. And if we hope to stop its spread, “it must be identified and called out for what it is.” Who Is Really Behind the Protests in France?Nora Bussigny • International Who Is Really Behind the Protests in France? Read story › If you ask Konstantin Kisin, co-host of the Triggernometry podcast, the chaos in France is already spreading—and Britain could be next. In today’s episode of Conversations with Coleman, he explains how lax immigration policy in Britain, as in France, has changed the fabric of his country. Watch the episode to understand why Konstantin believes the cultural differences that France and its neighbors have so aggressively celebrated for years could well prove to be Europe’s undoing. Konstantin Kisin: France’s Chaos Is Coming for BritainColeman Hughes • Conversations with Coleman Konstantin Kisin: France’s Chaos Is Coming for Britain Watch now › SpotifyApple PodcastsRSS —Jillian Lederman Brad Polumbo • Education Obesity Isn’t Unhealthy, and Other Lessons from Harvard Medical School Obesity Isn’t Unhealthy, and Other Lessons from Harvard Medical School Obesity isn’t unhealthy. Medical paperwork is violence. We’re living under fascism for fat people. At first, those might sound like fringe conspiracy theories, but last month, they were front and center at a Harvard Medical School conference hosted by author and New York Times contributor Roxane Gay. How did this beacon of higher education devolve into fat activism and chants of “Free Luigi?” Brad Polumbo infiltrated the conference to find out. Read story › Elliot Ackerman • Tech and Business AI Could Bring Back the Dark Ages AI Could Bring Back the Dark Ages Artificial intelligence is improving at breakneck speed—and Americans are increasingly divided over what to do about it. On one side, the pro-regulation camp argues that we need rules to keep this technology from destroying us. On the other side, the free-market capitalists insist that we need unconstrained innovation to change the world. But Elliot Ackerman says both sides miss the point. Today, he explains why we should treat AI as the ultimate weapon—and how studying history’s greatest arms races may save our future. Read story › Frannie Block • Health and Self-Improvement Are Drug Rehabs Destroying This Small Ohio Town? Are Drug Rehabs Destroying This Small Ohio Town? In the early 20th century, Portsmouth, Ohio, was a bustling metropolis, home to an NFL team and booming manufacturing plants. But when the factories left, the city was devastated by the opioid crisis. Now, it is the home of multiple drug rehabilitation and recovery centers—but as Frannie Block discovered, it may be one big scam. “Portsmouth was once the shoe capital of the world,” said Justin Pizzulli, a 35-year-old state legislator. “Now,” he added, “it’s the rehab capital of the world.” Locals say the facilities are rife with fraud, exploitation, and abuse. Read Frannie’s report on how a program designed to save Portsmouth citizens devolved into a new world of harm. Read story › Get 20 Percent Off an Annual Subscription to The Free Press Since day one, our goal at The Free Press has been simple: make sense of the world as it is. Five years later, that has never felt more urgent. How do you know what’s true in a world this confounding? You start with voices you trust. Ross Douthat. Abigail Shrier. Douglas Murray. Niall Ferguson. Coleman Hughes. Caitlin Flanagan. Nellie Bowles. Arthur Brooks. Kat Rosenfield. Tyler Cowen. They see the world clearly and embody the values that drive The Free Press: curiosity, courage, independence, doggedness, honesty. To celebrate our growing roster of columnists, we’re going on sale. Get access to all their writing and more, with 20 percent off an annual subscription for a limited time. Subscribe MORE FROM THE FREE PRESSHow the GOP Could Lose Texas Audrey Fahlberg Read story Tyler Cowen: Elizabeth Holmes Should Not Be in Prison Tyler Cowen Read story The Violent Settlers Bringing Shame on Israel Yardena Schwartz Read story Sally Rooney Hates Novels Sarah Ditum Read story THE NEWS Russian president Vladimir Putin, pictured in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025, freed American Stephen Hubbard on Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik via Getty Images) Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the release of Stephen Hubbard, a U.S. citizen held by Russia for over four years. The concession came shortly before Putin said that he is willing to resume peace talks with Ukraine. White House envoy Steve Witkoff called him a “humanitarian.” The Cornell University student identified as Jane Doe has dropped a man from her lawsuit after incorrectly identifying him as the president of the school’s Chi Phi fraternity. It is the latest example of mistaken identity in the suit. (For more on another mistake, read Frannie Block’s report here.) According to The Wall Street Journal, Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of Starshield, the military-grade version of the Starlink satellite service, in Ukraine. The slowdown has outraged Ukrainians, and came as the White House made a series of moves appeasing Russia. Tesla and SpaceX shares jumped on Wednesday, a day after Musk announced that the two companies are exploring a possible merger. Musk is the CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla and SpaceX, and their consolidation would bring together his work in AI, rockets, and cars, creating a company worth roughly $3.5 trillion. AI tools helped uncover a critical security flaw inside PHP, which powers as much as 70 percent of all websites. The online bug’s discovery gave cybersecurity experts more time to eliminate the vulnerability before websites are in danger. A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion in penalties after a jury found the owner of Facebook and Instagram guilty of misleading users about their privacy. The fine was levied almost a decade after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke the news of major privacy violations. The Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s attempt to block transgender federal prisoners from obtaining gender-affirming care. The decision will provide over 1,000 inmates with access to these treatments while the Justice Department continues to appeal the case. President Trump signed a bill on Tuesday declaring America’s newest national park in a rocky region of southeastern Arizona. The site, known as “Chiricahua,” became the country’s 64th national park and the first new one in six years. 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