Emmanuel Macron has sharply criticized several foreign leaders who have commented on the protests and unrest in France. The French president described some of their statements as untrue and ill-considered, after US President Donald Trump accused immigrants of fueling violence in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday during a visit to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Macron rejected claims that France had been overrun by mobs of immigrants and Islamists. He described this portrayal of the situation as completely false.
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The French president said those speaking ill of France at this moment did not love the country. Macron added that their positions irritated him.
On Monday, Trump had claimed, without providing evidence, that immigrants, jihadists and communists were invading, looting and burning France. He said these people harbored hatred toward Christianity and Western civilization itself.
Asked whether there was evidence that foreign actors had been involved in the unrest, Macron replied that no obvious foreign interference had been observed in the events.
However, he drew a distinction between interference and the manipulation of information from abroad. He said this manipulation had prompted some people, including foreign leaders, to make unacceptable and ill-considered statements.
Macron did not name any of the leaders he criticized, but clarified that the comments had come from both Europe and across the Atlantic. He stressed that France wanted order, respect and progress, while objecting to public assertions that did not reflect the truth.
The protests began in September, initially driven by concerns about the state of education and the rising cost of living. They later escalated into clashes and unrest across France.
Over the past weekend, the number of people arrested by French authorities exceeded 2,000.
Restrictions, including local curfews, have been imposed in some areas. Authorities have announced that police will be deployed in large numbers for the next protests, expected on Saturday.
US Vice President JD Vance has also claimed that immigrants are behind the unrest. In a post on the social media platform X, he wrote that Western liberals had brought the Third World to France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. Vance also accused governments of neglecting integration and social compatibility.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump publicly backed Vance’s comments and rejected the explanation that education or the cost of living were the main causes of the protests.
According to Trump, the issue is not education but immigration. He claimed it involved people entering illegally who essentially hated France, people and everything.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has also linked the violence to immigration policies, but without providing evidence to support the claim.
On Wednesday, Macron made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Élysée Palace said the French president departed for Paris after the meeting.
