French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned remarks by US President Donald Trump linking violent unrest in France to immigration, rejecting the allegations as unsupported and criticizing foreign leaders for spreading misinformation.
Speaking Wednesday during a regional visit to the Persian Gulf, Macron said there was no visible evidence of foreign interference in the protests, which have escalated into widespread rioting and looting.
The demonstrations began in September over deteriorating educational conditions and rising living costs before expanding into broader social unrest.
Initially peaceful student protests intensified over the weekend as rioters attacked municipal buildings and looted businesses across France.
More than 2,000 people, predominantly minors, were taken into police custody, while thousands of businesses suffered damage.
Authorities introduced temporary localized curfews and pledged a substantial police deployment ahead of further demonstrations expected Saturday.
Trump claimed Monday that migrants and extremists were responsible for the violence, arguing that immigration rather than educational grievances explained the turmoil.
He reiterated that position Tuesday, presenting France's unrest as a warning to American voters ahead of November's congressional elections.
US Vice President JD Vance similarly blamed European immigration policies, questioning whether migrants had successfully integrated into Western societies.
Macron rejected claims that France had been overwhelmed by migrants and Islamists, describing such allegations as false.
He distinguished between foreign involvement in the unrest and foreign manipulation of information surrounding the violence.
French authorities have not established a connection between migration and criminal activity during the demonstrations.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized security and warned against repeating mistakes attributed to other European countries, reflecting wider political debate over the unrest.
Within France, politicians across the political spectrum have accused hard-left groups of contributing to the disorder.
Analyst Emmanuel Dupuy argued that Trump's intervention primarily served domestic electoral objectives, while describing the underlying French challenge as one of integration rather than immigration.
Meanwhile, student protesters maintained that their original demands concerning education remained central despite the growing international political controversy.