French President Emmanuel Macron has described as “stupid” claims by foreign leaders, including US President Donald Trump, blaming Muslim migrants for recent riots in France, accusing them of exploiting the unrest for political gain.
Macron spoke on Wednesday after protests over rising living costs triggered widespread rioting and looting across French cities, drawing international attention and shocking residents.
Trump had used the violence to rally his political supporters, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants were responsible for the unrest. He also urged Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late!”
Responding to the claims, Macron said foreign actors had manipulated information following the violence in Paris and other French cities over the weekend.
“And that has led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders,” he said.
Asked whether he was referring to Trump, Macron replied: “Among others.”
He also criticised the circulation of artificial intelligence-generated images allegedly depicting events that never occurred in France.
“We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false,” Macron said.
However, he did not identify the images he was referring to or explain how he had established that the content was false.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his office could provide the countries concerned with the necessary clarification.
He said this would “help them avoid spreading or amplifying false information and making baseless claims on social media.”
Macron and Trump previously enjoyed a cordial relationship, but the US president has repeatedly mocked his French counterpart during public speeches.
“The fact is, all the people who are speaking ill of our country right now are people who don’t love our country,” Macron said. “So those people really bother me.”
He accused foreign leaders of using France’s domestic challenges to advance their political interests, particularly during election campaigns.
“When I see leaders who are in the middle of election campaigns, whether in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic — who sometimes naively repeat AI-generated content or spread narratives that certain circles are clearly trying to promote about what happened in France — they’re using our country for their own political campaigns,” said Macron. “And we don’t need that.”
Macron made the remarks in Qatar at the end of a tour of key energy suppliers in Gulf Arab states, where he sought additional fuel supplies to address rising prices.
His office said the trip was aimed at finding solutions to the energy crisis and securing supplies of oil, gas, diesel and jet fuel.
During the visit, Macron secured an additional 100,000 metric tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, with another 100,000 tonnes expected to be confirmed in Bahrain.
The Élysée said France could secure nearly 295,000 additional tonnes of diesel monthly, including supplies from Saudi Arabia. The volume would represent more than 10 per cent of France’s monthly diesel consumption.
Macron later travelled to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “to continue efforts to secure and diversify oil and gas supplies,” according to his office.
Earlier in the month, the Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products from strategic reserves. The release was to begin with substantial quantities of diesel after prices reached a record high in the United States.
“I would remind you that France initiated the G7 meeting that led to the release of strategic reserves, which, through implementation at the national level, will help bring down prices starting in early November,” Macron said.
Petrol, energy and food prices have risen sharply in recent months, fuelling public anger. It remains unclear whether the additional fuel supplies will ease the protesters’ concerns.
Macron said the new diesel supplies addressed “some of the anxieties.”
“I also hear the concerns of our high school and university students. Those concerns stem from other factors, but in any case, I think things are moving in the right direction,” he added.
High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, deteriorating facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. Some have also criticised school days that can run from 8am to 6pm, describing them as exhausting, while others have raised concerns about the complexity and fairness of the university admissions system.
France has experienced two consecutive quiet nights since the weekend’s unrest. Authorities have imposed curfews in parts of several major cities, including limited areas of Paris.
Further demonstrations are planned for Thursday and Saturday following calls from student unions and groups within the “yellow vest” movement, whose protests over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019.
Paris police said on Wednesday that they would ban a planned protest in the capital on Thursday, citing public safety and the need to protect property.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met trade union representatives on Wednesday, said authorities were preparing a “massive” security operation for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters.
The unrest has raised questions about the effectiveness of existing security measures.
Macron said the government would use its legal powers to prevent further disturbances.
“We are using the legal means at our disposal to prevent further incidents of this kind,” Macron said.
“Those who intend to cause disturbances in city centers next Saturday will be prevented from doing so. Tomorrow, we will also have a very detailed update on the implementation of these measures, including anticipation, intelligence gathering and security, not just for Saturday, but also for the coming weeks.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
