Donald Trump has blamed immigration for a wave of riots across France, after a town hall in Limoges was set ablaze, businesses were looted and hundreds of people were injured.
The unrest, which has also spread to Milan and Lisbon, followed weeks of protests over staff shortages, the rising cost of living and anger directed at President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said: “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!”
His comments came after Kirill Dmitriev, a liaison between Vladimir Putin and Washington, accused “left-wing globalists” of sowing “migration-driven chaos”.
The demonstrations began a month ago with teachers and students protesting over staff shortages, but developed into a wider movement against rising prices. Extremist politicians and activists, including Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the hard-Left France Unbowed party, have since joined the protests.
Macron vows action over France riots
Mr Macron blamed far-Left fringe groups and criminals for what he called “unbridled violence”, while appealing for national unity after a weekend during which as many as half a million people took part in protests.
In a televised address, the French president said: “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it.” He added: “Those who looted will have to pay back for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable.”
Jordan Bardella, chairman of the National Rally, dismissed Mr Macron’s speech as “pathetic”.
One of the worst-hit locations was Limoges, where flames destroyed the clock tower of the town hall, which is 140 years old. Mayor Guillaume Guerin accused organised extremists of driving young people into the violence.
“Those who organise everything, who bring the battering rams, who smash the windows and identify the basement entrances in this town hall so they can get in – they are not the kids,” he said. “They are people who are organised to wage war.”
Mr Guerin added: “The logistics, the organisation, the premeditation behind the attack on the town hall is something I find unbearable.”
In Paris, a woman attempted to prevent masked rioters from entering a looted grocery shop through a smashed door. “Why are you doing this? Stop! This isn’t the cause!” she pleaded, before the group pushed past her.
A senior police commander told Le Parisien: “It was apocalyptic. Law enforcement was unable to contain the multitude of simultaneous attacks across the country.”
Further clashes broke out in Paris after Mr Macron’s address, with rioters erecting barricades and fighting running battles with police. One protester said: “We are here because we want Macron to resign. The police are out to wound us, if not kill us, but we will fight back.”
