Follow-Up: Macron Calls Foreign Remarks on France Protests 'As Unacceptable As They Are Stupid'
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, October 21, in Doha, Qatar, that comments by foreign leaders about the protests and riots in France were 'as unacceptable as they are stupid,' and that claims France had been invaded by migrants and Islamists were completely false, according to the Associated Press and CNN.
Macron said there was no visible foreign interference in the events themselves, but that there had been foreign manipulation of information afterward, including SI-generated images depicting scenes that never happened in France. '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 whether he was referring to U.S. President Donald Trump, Macron replied: 'Among others, but he is part of it.'
On October 19, Trump said Paris was 'going to be a Muslim city very soon' and claimed France was being conquered, looted and burned by migrants, jihadists and communists, urging Europe to close its borders — remarks GSM reported the same day. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France could provide the countries concerned with clarification to help them avoid spreading false information and baseless claims.
The protests began in September over education funding and the cost of living. More than half a million people took to the streets across France on October 17, and the demonstrations spiraled into rioting and looting in several cities, with more than 2,000 people arrested over the past weekend. French authorities have imposed localized curfews and promised a massive police presence for further protests expected on Saturday.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 法国总统马克龙（资料图，欧盟委员会供图，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons）。 / French President Emmanuel Macron (file photo, European Commission, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
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