PARIS | French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that foreign leaders — including those “on the other side of the Atlantic” — were seeking to exploit France’s tense social climate for political gain following a weekend of street violence and looting.
Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting that have drawn worldwide attention and shocked many French citizens.
U.S. President Trump has cited the violence in speeches to his political supporters, making, according to his critics, unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest, and urging Mr. Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late!”
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Mr. Macron responded by saying there “has been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath” of the looting in Paris and other French cities last weekend. “And that has led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders,” he said.
Asked by a reporter if he was referring to Mr. Trump, Mr. Macron replied: “Among others.” He added that there have been “AI-generated images depicting scenes that never actually happened in France. We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false.”
Mr. Macron did not specify which AI-generated images he was referring to, nor how he knew the content was false.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his office can provide the countries concerned with the necessary clarification, “to help them avoid spreading or amplifying false information and making baseless claims on social media.”
Mr. Macron and Mr. Trump once enjoyed a good relationship but Mr. Trump regularly mocks the French president in his public speeches.
“The fact is, all the people who are speaking ill of our country right now are people who don’t love our country,” Mr. Macron said. “So those people really bother me.”
“When I see leaders who are in the middle of election campaigns, whether in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic — 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,” said Mr. Macron. “And we don’t need that.”
Mr. Macron was speaking in Qatar at the end of a tour of key energy suppliers in Gulf Arab states, where he secured an additional 100,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, with a further 100,000 tons to be confirmed in Bahrain.
Macron’s office said he traveled to the Middle East to find solutions to the energy crisis and rising energy prices, and to secure supplies of oil, gas, diesel and jet fuel.
Petrol, energy and food prices have surged in recent months, and high school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighborhoods.
France has had two consecutive quiet nights since the weekend’s unrest. Curfews have been imposed in parts of several major cities, including small areas of Paris.
Further protests are planned for Thursday and Saturday following calls from student unions and groups within the “ yellow vest ” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019.
Paris police said Wednesday they would ban Thursday’s planned protest in the French capital, citing concerns for public safety and the protection of property.
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