French president criticises comments by ‘foreign leaders’ trying to exploit disorder for their own political agenda.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said people who plan to “cause chaos” during protests against the high cost of living will not be allowed to do so.
Speaking to the press in Doha, where he met Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Macron said he would meet with French intelligence services before protests planned for Saturday.
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He maintained that there has not been any “visible foreign interference in the events that took place”, but warned that “there had been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath.”
More than half a million people gathered across France on Saturday to demand better conditions in schools and denounce high living costs. At least 2,500 people were arrested after riots broke out in certain areas, with shops looted.
Macron insisted he would “adopt all the measures necessary” to restore what he described as “calm, security and order”.
The French president also criticised “unacceptable and even stupid comments by many, including foreign leaders”.
Macron said the leaders were weighing in on protests in France to rally their political supporters. His comments appeared to be related to United States President Donald Trump, who claimed the protests were about immigration.
Macron’s criticism also appeared to relate to claims made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said France had been engulfed by an “invasion of extremist Islam”. Neither Trump nor Netanyahu provided any evidence to support their claims.
On Wednesday, France’s Yellow Vest movement filed plans for a large protest in Paris this weekend, following a second consecutive night of curfews that passed without major incidents.
Macron said it was not currently necessary to enforce a state of emergency, but Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has pledged to increase security at future protests. Lecornu said there would be a “massive deployment” of police, backed by the military.