French President Emmanuel Macron has accused foreign leaders and political figures of spreading misleading narratives about the recent riots in France, rejecting claims that the unrest was driven by migration and radical Islam.
Speaking in Qatar at the end of a Gulf tour, Macron said that foreign manipulation of information had followed the looting and violence that swept Paris and other French cities over the weekend.
The demonstrations, initially driven by anger over soaring living costs, escalated into widespread rioting and looting, prompting the government to introduce curfews and intensify security measures.
Macron said that some commentators had used the unrest to promote claims about migration and Islam that did not reflect what had happened in France. “We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false,” he said.
He also criticised comments made by foreign leaders in the aftermath of the violence, describing them as “as unacceptable as they are stupid.”
Asked whether he was referring to US President Donald Trump, Macron replied, “Among others.”
Trump has linked the unrest in France to migration, urging Macron to tighten border controls and remove people he described as criminals. “If Europe doesn’t close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished,” Trump said at the White House as he departed for a campaign rally in Kansas supporting Republicans.
“When I look at France, when you look at Italy, when you look at all the turmoil and the hatred — that’s not about school. That’s about people coming into the countries that hate the country.”
Donald Trump
Republican figures have also linked the French unrest to Islam, portraying the demonstrations as evidence of what they describe as the dangers of allowing radical Islam to gain influence in Western societies.
At Monday’s rally, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall argued that the situation in France illustrated a broader threat to the United States.
“Today, radical Islam is the single greatest threat to the American democracy and freedom. We’re seeing in real time in France what happens when moderates capitulate to radical Islam.”
Roger Marshall
Macron rejected such interpretations, saying that France had not been overrun by migrants or Islamists and accusing some foreign figures of repeating narratives that misrepresented the events.
He said that the spread of these claims was particularly troubling when political leaders repeated them while campaigning for elections.
“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.”
Emmanuel Macron
He added that France did not need to become a tool for other countries’ domestic political battles.
Macron Warns Of AI-Generated Images And Information Manipulation
The French President also raised concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to create images depicting events that did not occur during the unrest. “We’ve seen AI-generated images depicting scenes that never actually happened in France,” he said.
Macron did not identify the specific images he was referring to or explain how the content had been verified. However, he argued that the circulation of such material had contributed to misleading accounts of the demonstrations.
“The fact is, all the people who are speaking ill of our country right now are people who don’t love our country. So those people really bother me.”
Emmanuel Macron
His comments highlight growing concerns about the role of manipulated digital content in shaping public perceptions of political events, particularly when images and claims circulate rapidly across social media.
The remarks also reflect tensions between Paris and foreign political figures over how the French unrest should be interpreted, with Macron insisting that the demonstrations should not be used to advance claims he considers false.
Macron Secures Additional Diesel Supplies During Gulf Tour
Macron’s comments came during a visit to Qatar at the conclusion of a tour of key energy suppliers in the Gulf, where he sought to secure additional fuel supplies amid an energy crisis and rising prices.
The French President secured an additional 100,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, with a further 100,000 tonnes to be confirmed in Bahrain, according to the information provided.
The Élysée Palace said nearly 295,000 additional tonnes of diesel per month could be secured through arrangements that also include supplies from Saudi Arabia.
The potential additional volume would represent more than 10 per cent of France’s monthly diesel consumption.
Macron’s office said that the Middle East tour was intended to identify solutions to the energy crisis and rising energy prices while securing supplies of oil, gas, diesel and jet fuel.
The diplomatic mission therefore combined efforts to address France’s energy needs with the President’s response to the political controversy surrounding the weekend unrest.
As the French government works to restore order and address public anger over living costs, Macron has also sought to challenge international narratives linking the violence to migration and Islam, warning that misinformation and AI-generated content risk distorting the events for political purposes.
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