Macron rejects Trump's migrant claims on French riots as EU finds no proof
President Emmanuel Macron dismissed foreign leaders' comments blaming immigration for riots in France as "unacceptable and stupid", as the EU said it had no evidence of foreign involvement.
French President Emmanuel Macron rejected comments from foreign leaders, including US President Donald Trump, blaming immigration for riots that swept several French cities last weekend, calling the claims "unacceptable and stupid".
"Some people have claimed that we've been overrun by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false," Macron told reporters during a visit to Qatar, according to POLITICO Europe. The remarks were a direct response to Trump, who said this week that France was "being conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and Communists", POLITICO reported.
Macron said Trump was among a group of political leaders "campaigning off of France's back", and that such moments reveal "who loves France and who doesn't", according to POLITICO. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar also cited the French unrest as proof that Hungary was right to pursue strict migration policies, POLITICO reported.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said he had offered to help other countries "understand the situation" so as not to spread false information, and said foreign leaders who comment on French events "for electoral purposes or to harm us" should show restraint, POLITICO reported.
Macron separately said there was "no evidence of foreign interference" in triggering the unrest, though he said there had been foreign manipulation of information about it afterwards, Euronews reported. The European Commission said it lacked evidence to justify a formal investigation into suspected foreign disinformation, an EU official told Euronews, even as national regulators including France's Arcom pressed for one.
Euronews reported that Russia-linked disinformation networks, including those known as Operation Overload and Doppelganger, had seized on the unrest to amplify their online campaigns, though it said the protests appeared to have been exploited by foreign actors rather than driven by them. A video from Georgia in 2024 was separately shared online as if it showed the French unrest, Proto Thema reported.
Follow this story
An email when there is a real update (a new toll, a cause, an arrest). Nothing else; stop with one click.
Free: one story at a time. Members follow as many stories as they like.
What we know
- Macron called comments blaming immigration for the French riots "unacceptable and stupid", a clear rebuke of Trump, POLITICO reported.
- Trump had said France was being "conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and Communists".
- Macron said there was no evidence of foreign interference causing the unrest, though there had been foreign manipulation of information about it afterwards, according to Euronews.
- The European Commission said it did not have enough evidence to open a formal investigation into suspected foreign disinformation around the riots.
- Russia-linked disinformation networks exploited the unrest online to amplify their campaigns, Euronews reported, though evidence suggests they did not drive the protests.
Not yet confirmed
- Whether foreign actors played any direct role in triggering the unrest; EU officials say there is no such evidence, only evidence of post-hoc disinformation.
Why it matters for Europe
The riots, which began over the cost of living and school conditions, have triggered political fallout beyond France: Hungary and Poland's governments have cited them to justify hardline migration policies, while Trump has invoked them ahead of US midterm elections. The EU's reluctance to open a formal probe, despite pressure from national regulators, shows the bloc's caution in publicly blaming Russia for information manipulation without conclusive evidence.
Sources
Reported by 9 reports from 9 independent outlets in 7 countries.
- France 24: Live: French PM Lecornu to meet with unions ahead of new protests
- The Independent: France protests latest: Suspect arrested over city hall fire as French PM says curfews are working
- Financial Times Europe: EU probes pro-Kremlin disinformation around French riots
- Proto Thema: Η ΕΕ ψάχνει ξένο δάκτυλο στις γαλλικές ταραχές: Βίντεο από τη Γεωργία το 2024 παρουσιάστηκε ως εικόνα από τη Γαλλία
- POLITICO Europe: Macron slams ‘stupid’ comments after Trump pins French riots on immigration
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 9 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Free during the launch: create an account →Log inHow we rate sources
Intelligence file
PremiumSee how we verified this story
Confidence and impact scores, 7 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Launch offer: free for members until 31 October 2026
Questions and answers
- What did Macron say about Trump's comments?
- Macron called claims blaming immigration for the French riots "unacceptable and stupid" and said Trump was among leaders "campaigning off of France's back", POLITICO reported.
- Did the EU find evidence of foreign interference?
- No. An EU official told Euronews there was no evidence that foreign powers caused the riots, though Russia-linked networks exploited the unrest afterwards to spread disinformation online.
- What sparked the riots Trump and others commented on?
- Hundreds of thousands of people protested over the cost of living and public services last weekend, with some demonstrations turning violent, including arson and looting in several French cities.
This article was written with AI assistance from 12 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.