French president hits out at ‘unacceptable and stupid’ comments linking weekend violence to migrants and Islamists, pointing to AI-generated fakes and election-season politics.
French President Emmanuel Macron has accused foreign leaders of exploiting recent riots across France for their own electoral purposes, rejecting claims that the violence was driven by migrants or Islamists and warning against the spread of AI-generated falsehoods.
Speaking to reporters in Doha on Wednesday during a visit to Qatar as part of a Gulf tour focused on energy supplies, Macron said there had been “no visible foreign interference in the events that took place,” but added that “there has been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath.”
That manipulation, he said, “gave rise to unacceptable and stupid comments from many people, including foreign leaders.”
Without naming individuals, Macron referred to “leaders who are in campaign mode, whether here in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic,” who were “campaigning at France’s expense.” The remarks were widely interpreted as directed at US President Donald Trump, whose Republican Party faces midterm elections next month, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is heading into parliamentary elections.
Asked if he was referring to Trump, Macron replied: “Among others.”
Cost-of-living protests turn violent:
The unrest erupted on the fringes of large-scale demonstrations on Saturday against rising living costs, fuel prices and declining public services, including schools. Hundreds of thousands of people marched peacefully in cities across France. However, violence and looting followed in Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Nice and other urban centres, with public buildings set on fire, shops ransacked and clashes with police.
Authorities reported more than 2,400 arrests, with nearly 150 people jailed and more than 800 brought before the courts. About 1,000 police officers were injured. Macron has drawn a clear distinction between “legitimate demands” of protesters and those who “destroyed, smashed and looted,” calling for calm and order ahead of further planned demonstrations this weekend.
The French president rejected narratives linking the disorder to immigration. “We’ve had people claiming that we had been invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false,” he said. He also criticised the circulation of AI-generated images “depicting scenes that never actually happened in France.”
Macron Condemns Foreign Leaders’ Remarks on France’s Violence:
Trump has repeatedly invoked the French violence on the campaign trail, describing France as being “conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and Communists” and urging Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late.” Netanyahu, in a television interview, spoke of an “invasion of extremist Islam” in France.
Macron pushed back firmly. “When I see leaders who are in the middle of election campaigns … 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,” he said. “And we don’t need that. We already have difficulties to deal with.”
He added that those speaking ill of France at this moment “are people who don’t love our country. So those people really bother me.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot echoed the criticism, saying foreign leaders who exploit events in France for electoral purposes “should show at least a basic measure of restraint.”
The violence has intensified political pressure on Macron in the final stretch of his presidency, with presidential elections due in 2027. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally has sought to capitalise on public concerns over order, while left-wing figures have blamed government policies for the underlying discontent.
Macron is due to chair a meeting with intelligence officials and ministers to review the weekend’s events in detail. He has vowed to take “all the measures necessary” to restore calm and prevent further chaos during upcoming protests.