French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday blamed "foreign leaders" including those "on the other side of the Atlantic" for trying to exploit France's tense social climate for political gain after a weekend of violence.
The protests in France over soaring living costs have drawn worldwide attention, with US President Donald Trump saying that Muslim migrants were responsible for the unrest. He even suggested to Macron to "close your borders and take control before it is too late!"
However, the French President responded by saying that 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.
When a reporter asked Macron if he was referring to Trump, he replied, "Among others".
He dismissed Trump's claim about France being invaded by migrants and Islamists and called it "completely false".
"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", he said.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that 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."
"The fact is, all the people who are speaking ill of our country right now are people who don't love our country," 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 Macron. "And we don't need that."
Concluding his Gulf tour, Macron announced in Qatar that France locked in 100,000 metric tons of monthly diesel from the United Arab Emirates, with a matching 100,000-ton monthly supply expected to be finalised in Bahrain.
Trump Blames Immigration For Protests
Trump on Monday had blamed immigration for protests and violence that have rocked France in recent days, urging Europe and Macron to tighten borders.
"What's happening in France has to do with immigration, not schools, not anything," Trump told reporters in Washington, echoing his comments from the day before. "It's immigration, and I told President Emmanuel Macron, close up your borders."
Trump recounted a conversation with Macron, telling him "a long time ago, you're making a big mistake in France. You're letting everybody from the world come in. The whole world was coming in.
"Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon," the 80-year-old Republican added.
"If Europe doesn't close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished."
On Sunday, Trump reiterated the same on his social media.
"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!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The unrest in France began with students demanding more teachers and better school conditions. It then widened to include unions and people worried about the cost of living and public services.
The nationwide demonstrations were called against high inflation and the cost of living. The French interior ministry said 550,000 people attended, while the CGT union put the figure at 800,000. The demands reported so far centre on prices and public services, not immigration.
(With inputs from agencies)