France in February 2026: the most important developments in society
France in February 2026 was dominated by Storm Nils and the flooding that followed it. On 12 February the storm killed one person and cut power to about 850,000 homes; by the next day authorities counted between one and three deaths and red alerts covered the Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne departments. Officials said flood records in the southwest had been broken. Later in the month Storm Pedro brought more rain, the Loire reached its highest level of the century in Nantes, and evacuations took place in Saintes. France ended a record 40-day streak of consecutive rainfall on 24 February, though three departments stayed on red alert and rivers remained swollen.
The second major theme was the death of Quentin Deranque, a student and activist, in Lyon. The justice minister and other officials blamed the "ultra-left", and politicians traded accusations. On 15 February President Emmanuel Macron described La France Insoumise as part of the "extreme left" and denounced what he called antisemitic expressions within it, while urging calm. Thousands marched in Lyon on 21 February. Macron's remarks drew criticism from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government. Jean-Luc Mélenchon rallied supporters in Lyon and attacked the media; on 27 February politicians from across the spectrum condemned his remarks on the Jeffrey Epstein case as antisemitic.
Antisemitism was a related concern. On 13 February Macron paid tribute to Ilan Halimi, murdered in 2006, and proposed making elected officials ineligible for office if they commit antisemitic or racist acts. A statue of the Republic in Paris was defaced with a swastika and the inscription "Death to Jews", swastikas were found at a former Nazi transit camp near Paris, and a Jewish school in Paris was vandalized.
The Epstein files also involved French figures: the government said Russia spread false claims linking Macron to the case, and former culture minister Jack Lang faced pressure after acknowledging past ties to Epstein and refused to resign from his positions. Investigators examined a third infant death linked to contaminated baby milk, prompting product recalls.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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