At least 2,400 people were arrested, while authorities estimated that around 3,000 businesses had been damaged or looted
US President Donald Trump has slammed French President Emmanuel Macron over the escalating unrest in France, claiming that “Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon” and blaming immigration for the violence that has swept across the country.“Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon, and that wasn't the deal... Emmanuel should've closed his borders a long time ago. I told him to do it,” Trump said.
“The France thing is a very sad situation... What's happening in France has to do with immigration — not schools, not anything — it's immigration. I told President Macron, 'Close up your borders!'” he added.Trump's remarks came as French authorities tightened security following a weekend of rioting that targeted city halls, public buildings and businesses across the country.
At least 2,400 people were arrested, while authorities estimated that around 3,000 businesses had been damaged or looted.Paris police imposed an overnight curfew from 11pm on Monday until 6am on Tuesday in two areas of the capital, including Place de la République and the Les Halles shopping district. Demonstrations and gatherings were also banned from 8pm. Several other cities introduced restrictions, including overnight curfews for minors.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the police response, saying that despite scenes of severe violence and extensive property damage, “no one was killed, and that is a miracle”.The unrest also triggered a political crisis, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offering his resignation on Sunday. However, Macron rejected it, citing the need for continued leadership of law enforcement amid the violence.Macron directed Nuñez to ensure transparency over failures in planning and intelligence-gathering and called for new policing tactics to be introduced quickly.Nuñez acknowledged that authorities had “lost control” in some major cities, admitting that the scale of the destruction had exposed serious shortcomings in the response.Meanwhile, far-right National Rally president Jordan Bardella accused the government and Macron of failing to protect the French public, urging voters to use their electoral power to hold the leadership accountable.