Bardella’s Rise Accelerates as France Burns Through Another Night of Chaos

France’s latest riots are being framed as more than football disorder. They have become another symbol of a country many voters see as losing control under Emmanuel Macron, with violence in Paris, cars burning, police injured and hundreds arrested. Michael Heaver looks at the clashes after the Champions League final, with close to 800 arrests and Marine Le Pen warning that even a night of victory now leaves people afraid of violence. He then turns to the political fallout, where polling shows Jordan Bardella as the clear frontrunner to become France’s next president. Bardella beats Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal in second-round scenarios, while Marine Le Pen, if allowed to stand, also defeats every rival tested.