On Monday, ABC’s Good Morning America highlighted soaring living costs resulting in protests spreading across Europe, but failed to detail the scale of the demonstrations. They described it as “largely peaceful protests,” despite the vandalism, looting, and “violent minority” clashes with police that led to 1,300 arrests.
Co-host George Stephanopoulos began the report with “hundreds of thousands” having taken to the streets in Paris, Barcelona, and Portugal. Foreign correspondent Tom Soufi Burridge described the clash between police and protesters in Paris and Lyon as “a major security operation,” ultimately raising questions about what ABC considers a peaceful protest.
Burridge went on to describe the unrest that had spread across Europe:
Protests and social unrest on the rise in cities across Europe this weekend, from the streets of Paris to the Colosseum in Rome, police pepper-spraying students in Brussels amid growing dissent against European governments over the cost of living, [and] public services.
Protests even reached the south-east of France, with “masked groups and riot police facing off amid waves of tear gas” in Lyon despite the “More than 400,000 people hitting the streets of France for largely peaceful protest.”
Burridge then hit a wall with his proclamation of “peaceful protests” with the mention of “a violent minority clashing with police in Paris, throwing projectiles,” ultimately leading to “More than 1,300 arrested, but the violence in France significantly down on the previous weekend.”
The potent irony of “the violence in France significantly down on the previous weekend” was highlighted with the harsh turn to the NFL’s first regular season game taking place in Paris on Sunday. Burridge attempted to use the tourist attraction to downplay the riots wreaking havoc across the city, even quoting a Steelers fan who described it as “fabulous” despite the surrounding riots.
Burridge continued to paint France as a city of order with mention of French President Macron’s visit to Marseilles, an area affected by the unrest. Yet, Burridge concluded his segment with acknowledgement of “more protests expected here in France, and in Italy in the coming days.”
ABC has documented the unrest, but has yet to pass the challenge of ensuring that the language used matches the events being reported.
Speaking of language, CBS Mornings found a protester/rioter who seemed inclined to state the obvious: “People are in anger, deep anger, and this anger is expressing itself through various means.”
In contrast, NBC's Today had the courtesy to tell viewers that the protests that stormed the Colosseum in Rome, Italy happened to be doing so with...the Palestinian flag. Here was correspondent Raf Sanchez:
It was a weekend of sweeping protests across Europe, but some of the most stunning images coming from Rome, where, as you say, demonstrators stormed the world-famous Colosseum. Groups of young people, some of them carrying Palestinian flags, forced their way inside the ancient arena where gladiators once fought. They were testing against the Gaza war and the cost of living. The Italian government says they were actually only inside the tourists site for a few minutes, and no damage or injuries were reported. But later on, there were clashes in the center of Rome, where police used [a] water cannon against demonstrators who defied a curfew imposed by the Italian government. Overall, much less violence across Europe than it had been the weekend before, when there was looting, even arson in several French cities. We did see some clashes in Paris, where police fired tear gas at the crowds, but the first-ever NFL game in France went ahead without a hitch. Nearly 80,000 fans, many of them Americans, showed up at France's national stadium to see the Steelers beat the Saints, 16-10. The French government, though, says it is still bracing for more big protests scheduled in the coming weeks.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
October 10, 2026
7:01:02 a.m. Eastern [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Mass Protests; Unrest on the Rise]
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Mass protests. Hundreds of thousands take to the streets in Paris, Barcelona, Portugal, even inside the Colosseum in Rome.
(....)
7:11:16 a.m.
1 minute and 55 seconds
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Protests in Paris Over Soaring Costs]
STEPHANOPOULOS: Overseas now to the unrest across Europe. Hundreds of thousands in the streets, angry over the soaring costs of living. In Paris, the demonstrations came as the first NFL game was played there. Tom Soufi Burridge in Paris with the latest. Good morning, Tom.
TOM SOUFI BURRIDGE: Good morning, George. Yeah, the government here in France is expected to deliver its first response to the demands of the student protest movement. That’s where this all began weeks ago. Over the weekend, a major security operation here, and elsewhere with protests set to continue across Europe. Protests and social unrest on the rise in cities across Europe this weekend, from the streets of Paris — [SHOUTING] — to the Colosseum in Rome, police pepper-spraying students in Brussels amid growing dissent against European governments over the cost of living, [and] public services. In Lyon, masked groups and riot police facing off amid waves of tear gas. More than 400,000 people hitting the streets of France for largely peaceful protests. [SHOUTING] Later, a violent minority clashing with police in Paris, throwing projectiles. More than 1,300 arrested, but the violence in France significantly down on the previous weekend.
DAVE PASCH: And it’s a touchdown!
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Paris Protests During France’s First NFL Game]
BURRIDGE: This as the NFL held its first regular season game in Paris Sunday. The New Orleans Saints facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
RICH EISEN: And the Steelers win this game, 16-10 in France.
BURRIDGE: Despite the unrest, Steelers fans Eric and Heidi Rhodes able to enjoy the game and the city.
HEIDI RHODES: We all got there very early, just worried about protocol getting into the game, et cetera, but it was fabulous.
BURRIDGE: And guys, French President Macron today in Marseille, his first visit to an area impacted by that shocking vandalism and looting more than a week ago. There are more protests expected here in France, and in Italy in the coming days, Robin.
ROBERTS: Those scenes are something else. All right, Tom, thank you.
