Macron calls Trump’s claims blaming Muslim migrants in French riots stupid

French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Qatar, blasted U.S. President Donald Trump and other foreign leaders for blaming Muslim migrants for a week‑long riot that erupted across France. Macron called the claims “stupid” and accused the outsiders of exploiting the unrest for electoral gain.

From Student Protests to City‑wide Riots

The protests spread to Lyon, Marseille, Nice and other cities, turning violent by the weekend. Curfews were imposed on Monday, covering parts of Paris and other major urban areas.

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The violence included looting, arson and the destruction of public property, drawing worldwide attention.

Macron’s Critique of Foreign Narratives

While touring Gulf Arab states to secure energy supplies, Macron addressed the French media in Doha. He said the riots had triggered “foreign manipulation of information” and that “comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid” had come from many people, including foreign leaders.

He singled out the U.S. And Israel, noting that President Trump had blamed “Muslim migrants” for the unrest and urged France to “close its borders.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had similarly described France as an “invasion of extremist Islam.”

Macron also warned that AI‑generated images were circulating on social media, depicting scenes that never happened in France. He said “we’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false.” Macron did not specify which AI-generated images he was referring to, nor how he knew the content was false.

Energy Security and the Fight Against Rising Costs

During the same Gulf visit, Macron secured an additional 100,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, with a further 100,000 tons to be confirmed in Bahrain. The Élysée said nearly 295,000 additional tons of diesel per month could be secured, including supplies from Saudi Arabia — equivalent to more than 10% of France’s monthly diesel consumption.

Earlier this month, the Group of Seven wealthy democracies agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products, beginning with substantial quantities of diesel after the fuel’s price hit a record high in the United States. Macron said that France initiated the G7 meeting that led to the release of strategic reserves, which, through implementation at the national level, will help bring down prices starting in early November.

Security Measures and Potential Emergency Powers

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who met union representatives on Wednesday, said a “massive” security operation was planned for Saturday to prevent a repeat of the violence by small groups of rioters that had exposed shortcomings in security measures.

“We are using the legal means at our disposal to prevent further incidents of this kind,” Macron said.

What to Watch Next

Protests are scheduled for Thursday and Saturday following calls from student unions and groups within the “yellow vest” movement, whose demonstrations over fuel prices shook France in 2018 and 2019.