Recent student protests in France, which have led to the burning and ransacking of schools, are not merely demands for better educational conditions but are symptomatic of a broader cultural phenomenon of "White guilt," according to author and filmmaker Eli Steele.
Steele points to the burning of Lycée Nelson Mandela in Nantes, a school that cost approximately €64 million to construct, as a striking image illustrating the ongoing chaos. This incident is one of at least 24 schools that have been damaged since late September, displacing thousands of students who are now forced to learn remotely. Official reports indicate over 6,500 arrests, predominantly of minors, and hundreds of injuries among students and staff, including a 16-year-old who lost the use of an eye and a physics teacher who was doused with gasoline and attacked.
While some media outlets and organizations have focused on the students' stated demands—such as more teachers, smaller classes, and improved school buildings—and criticized police responses, Steele contends that a deeper ideological current is at play. He asserts that left-wing factions are exploiting the anger over crumbling classrooms to advance a narrative rooted in "White guilt," a concept he defines not as personal remorse but as a collective condemnation of Western societies for historical sins like slavery and colonialism.
Steele argues that this collective guilt has created a climate where dissent is suppressed by the fear of being labeled racist or colonialist. This, he suggests, leads many to seek absolution by deferring to those identified as historically oppressed, creating a dynamic where victimhood is exchanged for power and innocence is purchased through concessions and silence.
The presence of Palestinian flags during the protests, Steele notes, is particularly telling. He interprets this as a dual accusation: first, that France is akin to Israel, an oppressor in the narrative of the students, and second, that the students themselves are now the inheritors of this victimhood, granting them moral legitimacy.
This dynamic, Steele claims, mirrors patterns seen in the United States, where he argues that concepts like reparations for slavery have been fueled by similar guilt-driven ideologies. He suggests that even privileged white students participating in the protests are rewarded with a sense of innocence if they align with the perceived oppressed, particularly if they distance themselves from what he calls the "evil West."
Steele criticizes figures who, like the mayor of Saint-Denis, suggest that violence can be legitimate, arguing this follows a script that prioritizes victim status over principles of responsibility and accountability. He concludes that this pervasive "White guilt" is a destructive force that leads societies to watch their own institutions burn while labeling it as social justice, ultimately contributing to a decline of Western civilization.