French President Emmanuel Macron has slammed what he called “stupid comments” from some foreign leaders over protests sweeping the country , after his US counterpart Donald Trump claimed migrants were fueling the unrest.
“We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false,” Macron said Wednesday during a tour of Arab states in the Persian Gulf region. “The fact is that all those speaking ill of our country right now are people who don’t love our country. And those people irritate me.”
On Monday, Trump claimed without evidence that France was being “conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity” and “the Western civilization itself.”
What started out in September as protests over the state of education and cost of living in the country has since spiraled into nationwide violence and rioting, with more than 2,000 people arrested this past weekend alone.
French authorities have imposed localized curfews and promised a “massive” police presence for more protests expected Saturday, as authorities come under pressure to quell the worst flare-up of rioting in years.
Asked Wednesday if he was aware of any evidence of foreign involvement in the turmoil, the French president said there is “no visible foreign interference in the events that took place.”
However, Macron continued, “there has been foreign manipulation of information, which has led to unacceptable and stupid comments from many people, including foreign leaders.”
Alongside Trump, Vice President JD Vance has also suggested migrants were behind the unrest. “Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion,” he wrote Monday on X. “They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility.”
Trump referred approvingly to Vance’s comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, while claiming that concerns about education or costs were not fueling the protests.
“It’s not about education. It’s about immigration,” he said. “It’s about illegal people coming in who basically hate France. They hate the people. They hate everything.”
Rioting in France gives Trump a new talking point as he tries to stave off GOP midterm losses
In Europe, too, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has linked the violence to immigration policies, also without providing evidence. On Sunday, he posted on social media: “In the face of this senseless destruction and unjustified violence, perhaps it is now clear to everyone why Hungary advocates the strictest possible approach to migration.”
Macron did not mention any specific foreign leaders in his news briefing Wednesday, but he did accuse leaders in both Europe and “on the other side of the Atlantic” of amplifying misinformation.
“We want order, respect and progress for our country. But people mustn’t go around saying things that simply aren’t true,” he said.
The French president made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before departing for Paris, according to the Élysée Palace.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Pierre Bairin and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed reporting.
