French President Emmanuel Macron accused foreign leaders on Tuesday of making stupid comments about street unrest in France to advance their own political campaigns. Speaking in Doha, he criticised figures who manipulated information following riots across several French cities.
When journalists asked if his remarks referred to Donald Trump, Macron replied that it included the US president and others. Trump had blamed the violence in France on migrants, jihadists and communists while campaigning for his Republican party ahead of midterm elections.
Macron told reporters in Qatar that certain leaders were naively spreading narratives promoted by specific circles during election campaigns. He stated that these individuals used France for domestic political gain while the country faced serious domestic difficulties.
The French president said artificial intelligence images were circulating to depict scenes that never occurred. He dismissed claims that France had been invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists as completely false.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing an election the following weekend, had also claimed that France suffered an invasion of extremist Islam. Analysts dismissed assertions that migrants were the primary factor behind the demonstrations.
The unrest began as largely peaceful protests over the cost of living before descending into violence and looting in cities including Paris, Marseille, Lyon, and Limoges. The town hall in Limoges was set on fire and partially destroyed.
The crisis erupted six months before presidential elections to choose Macron’s successor. The government admitted it lost control over the widespread rioting on Saturday.
Financial markets reacted nervously to the turmoil. The yield on French government 10-year bonds surpassed five percent on Wednesday for the highest level since 2002, and several nations issued travel warnings for France.
Macron pledged to prevent any repeat of the weekend convulsions as the yellow vest grassroots protest movement filed plans for a central Paris march on Saturday. Student groups also called for demonstrations that day to demand greater educational investment.
Government ministers promised a massive security operation with police reinforcements and troop deployments after acknowledging shortcomings in their initial response. Partial night-time curfews in areas prone to looting in Paris, Marseille, and Lille helped maintain relative calm.
France’s main trade unions called for a nationwide mobilisation on 5 November. CGT union head Sophie Binet said there was huge and legitimate anger and the response required a political solution rather than repression.
Macron insisted that France did not need a state of emergency and possessed the means to control further unrest. Union representatives met Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Wednesday without producing concrete announcements.
