Paris, October 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised foreign leaders, including those in the United States, for what he described as attempts to exploit France’s social tensions for political gain following a weekend of violence and unrest.
Macron condemned remarks made by several international leaders about the situation, calling them “as unacceptable as they are stupid”. Asked whether he was referring specifically to US President Donald Trump, Macron replied, “Among others”.
Trump has blamed immigration for unrest in parts of Europe and warned that France and Italy risk further instability unless their governments tighten border controls. French authorities, meanwhile, have attributed much of the recent violence to radical groups, amid protests linked to education and rising living costs.
Macron alleged that France had faced “foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath” of looting reported in Paris and other cities over the weekend.
He also rejected claims that France was being overrun by migrants and Islamists, describing them as “completely false”. The French President pointed to the circulation of AI-generated images depicting incidents that had never occurred in the country, saying such material was helping spread misleading narratives about the unrest.
“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,” he said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said his office was ready to provide the countries concerned with clarifications to prevent inaccurate information from spreading or being amplified on social media.
Macron also accused some leaders of using France’s domestic situation to advance their own political campaigns, particularly during election periods.
“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.”
He criticised leaders who, he said, repeated AI-generated content or promoted narratives about the unrest without adequately verifying the information.
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