Macron denounces ‘stupid comments’ from world leaders after Trump blames migrants for France’s unrest

Paris —

French President Emmanuel Macron criticized what he called “stupid comments” by some foreign leaders about the protests ravaging the country, after his US counterpart Donald Trump claimed migrants were fueling the unrest.

“We heard people claim that we were being invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false,” Macron said on Wednesday. during a tour of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf region. “The fact is that everyone who is saying bad things about 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, pillaged and burned by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity” and “Western civilization itself.”

What began in September as protests against the state of education and the cost of living in the country has since escalated into nationwide violence and rioting, with more than 2,000 people arrested last weekend alone.

French authorities have imposed localized curfews and promised a “massive” police presence for more protests expected on Saturday, as authorities come under pressure to quell the worst outbreak of rioting in years.

Asked Wednesday whether he was aware of any evidence of foreign involvement in the turmoil, the French president said there was “no visible foreign interference in the events that took place.”

However, Macron continued, “there was foreign manipulation of information, which led to unacceptable and stupid comments from many people, including foreign leaders.”

Alongside Trump, Vice President JD Vance also suggested that migrants were behind the unrest. “Western liberals have imported the Third World into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion,” he wrote Monday on X. “They have ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility. »

Trump referred approvingly to Vance’s comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, while asserting 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 immigration who, deep down, hate France. They hate people. They hate everything.”

Also in Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar 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 during his press briefing on Wednesday, but he accused leaders in Europe and “across the Atlantic” of amplifying disinformation.

“We want order, respect and progress for our country. But people should not say things that are simply not true,” he said.

The French president made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before leaving for Paris, according to the Élysée Palace.