Macron's accusation from Doha

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to reporters in Doha on Wednesday, 21 October, during a three-day visit to Gulf states. He did not name anyone, but he accused foreign leaders of campaigning at France's expense with comments on the unrest, which he called unacceptable and stupid. Asked whether he meant Donald Trump, he answered that Trump was among those he meant. He pointed to leaders in the region and on the other side of the Atlantic who are, in his words, in campaign mode.

The riots and the protests behind them

The violence broke out on Saturday, 17 October, after weeks of student protests over poor education, teacher shortages and run-down school buildings. The demonstrations then widened into a broader protest against high fuel prices and rising living costs. Masked youths clashed with police, looted shops and damaged public buildings, and the government admitted that police had 'lost control' during the violence. Nearly 150 people have been jailed and more than 800 have appeared before courts since the riots, which hit Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Nice. Macron promised that authorities would be uncompromising toward agitators from far-left groups, whom he held responsible for much of the disorder.

Trump and Netanyahu's claims

Trump has repeatedly commented on the violence in France since Saturday, blaming immigrants and Islamists without providing evidence, according to Deutsche Welle. He posted on Truth Social that France was on fire and urged the closing of borders, and he said Paris would soon become a Muslim city. Some of his remarks came during a campaign rally, and his Republican Party faces midterm elections in November. Netanyahu, interviewed by the Israeli broadcaster i24 on Tuesday, 20 October, said he was concerned about the violence in Paris. He said France, which has the largest Muslim minority in Europe, was being hit by an invasion of extremist Islam.

Disinformation and AI-generated images

Macron said he had seen no clear foreign interference in the events themselves, but he argued that foreign manipulation of information followed the riots and fuelled unacceptable comments.

“There was no clear foreign interference in the events that took place.”

AI-generated videos spread during and after the unrest, showing scenes that never happened in France. A fake image of an elderly white couple supposedly robbed by masked rioters also went viral. Macron said he had no evidence that Russia, Iran or Algeria had incited the violence, as some media had suggested. He rejected the claim that France had been overrun by hordes of migrants and Islamists.

“Some people have claimed we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false.”

Opposition and what comes next

Marine Le Pen, the Rassemblement national candidate in the presidential election, accused Macron of denying reality and trying to shift responsibility for the country's problems onto others.

“The conspiracy-theory remarks of the head of state are serious.”

Marion Maréchal accused Macron of minimising 'the chaos of the riots' and challenged his migration policy. Macron said no violence is legitimate, whether verbal or physical, against property or against people. The student union UNEF has called for further demonstrations on Saturday, 24 October, and the Yellow Vests have filed plans for a march in central Paris the same day. Unions still plan a national strike on 5 November over living costs and cuts to public services, after talks with the government ended without agreement. Macron was due to meet intelligence officials and senior ministers on Thursday, 22 October, to discuss the crisis.