US President Donald Trump today (18 October) blamed "immigration of people" for the widespread unrest in France as violent protests broke out in Paris, Nice, Marseille and other cities over rising inflation.
The US president's comment came as the police in France reportedly arrested at least 1,800 people across the country after violent groups clashed with officers and looted shops during protests over rising living costs.
Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said, "France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country."
"Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late," the US President added.
What's happening in France?
During the protests against high inflation and the cost of living, masked youths pillaged shops across Paris and several other cities, AFP reported.
Authorities informed that masked groups on Saturday set fires and attacked public buildings, including city halls, in various cities, according to a report by the Associated Press.
In France's Limoges, flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall. Haute-Vienne prefect Maurice Barate reportedly told LCI television that the fire was deliberately set.
France's President Macron to give address
French President Emmanuel Macron was to give a televised address at 1800 GMT on Sunday, AFP reported, citing his office. The broadcast was to take place after a meeting between Macron and various ministers, the Elysee said.
Meanwhile, Macron will hold an emergency meeting with government officials on Sunday afternoon, before addressing the nation, AP reported.
"No room for violence in our Republic. Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished," the French President said in an X post on Saturday.
"To the law enforcement forces, guarantors of the right to demonstrate, I express the support of the Nation. We will all stand united against the sowers of chaos, who seek only to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so," he added.
"The right to protest is a fundamental right. Deliberately and collectively sowing disorder through violence is not," France's interior minister Laurent Nuñez wrote on X.
Trump blames France unrest on migration
Earlier, Trump had blamed France's student protests on migration.
"What's happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration," Trump had said in a post on his Truth Social.
His comments came as the students in France blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools since late September to demand better conditions.