German minister blames France riots on left-wingers and migrants

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Monday blamed the riots on the fringes of protests in France on "left-wing extremists" and migrants.

"Anyone who fails to make it clear that left-wing extremists and a migrant milieu are coming together on the streets to wage a joint struggle against the democratic system has failed to understand the situation," Dobrindt, a conservative, told Germany's Bild tabloid.

France has been rocked by protests for weeks, launched by pupils upset over a lack of teachers and the parlous state of the schools. French police have been accused of responding with excessive force to the demonstrations.

Other parts of society have since joined the protests which have escalated further. At the weekend, nationwide protests against high living costs in France were accompanied by riots and looting, prompting Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to announce localized curfews.

The French government has attributed the riots to the left-wing scene, but has not directly blamed migrants.

Authorities have said that following the riots, young men came into the cities from the suburbs to loot shops.

The suburbs of large cities, or "banlieues" in French, are characterized by widespread poverty and are home to large migrant communities.

The German minister strongly condemned the violence on France's streets.

"Those who turn streets into battlefields, attack police officers and set fire to town halls are not demonstrating for better education, but are waging an armed struggle against our free society and our way of life," Dobrindt said.