PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that foreign leaders — including those “on the other side of the Atlantic” — were seeking to exploit France’s tense social climate for political gain following a weekend of street violence and looting.
Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting that have drawn worldwide attention and shocked many French citizens. U.S. President Donald Trump has used the violence to rally his political supporters, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest, and urging Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late!”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Macron responded by saying 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.
Asked by a reporter if he was referring to Trump, Macron replied: “Among others.” He added that there have been “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.”
Macron did not specify which AI-generated images he was referring to, nor how he knew the content was false.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said 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.”
Macron and Trump once enjoyed a good relationship but Trump regularly mocks the French president in his public speeches.
“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.”
Macron was speaking in Qatar at the end of a tour of key energy suppliers in Gulf Arab states, where he 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.
Macron's office said he traveled to the Middle East to find solutions to the energy crisis and rising energy prices, and to secure supplies of oil, gas, diesel and jet fuel.
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. Macron later traveled to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “to continue efforts to secure and diversify oil and gas supplies,” according to his office.
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.
“I would remind you 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,” Macron said.
Petrol, energy and food prices have surged in recent months, and it remains to be seen whether Macron’s announcement will ease protesters’ anger. He said the additional diesel supplies addressed “some of the anxieties.”
“I also hear the concerns of our high school and university students. Those concerns stem from other factors, but in any case, I think things are moving in the right direction,” he added.
High school students have raised concerns about underfunded schools, dilapidated facilities and staff shortages, particularly in lower-income neighbourhoods. Some also say school days, which often run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., are exhausting and the university admissions system is complex and unfair.
France has had two consecutive quiet nights since the weekend’s unrest. Curfews have been imposed in parts of several major cities, including small areas of Paris.
Further protests are planned 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.
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. “Those who intend to cause disturbances in city centers next Saturday will be prevented from doing so. Tomorrow, we will also have a very detailed update on the implementation of these measures, including anticipation, intelligence gathering, and security, not just for Saturday, but also for the coming weeks.”
