Emmanuel Macron criticized foreign leaders who are “campaigning at France’s expense” and spreading unacceptable comments after the weekend’s violence

Cristiana Dida

21 October 2026, 14:35

International

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President Emmanuel Macron criticized foreign leaders in Doha on Wednesday who, in his view, “are campaigning at France’s expense” and spreading “unacceptable and also stupid” comments after the violence that occurred over the weekend in several French cities. Without naming them, Macron was referring to U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The French leader denounced alleged external manipulation of information about the demonstrations on October 17, organized in opposition to the high cost of living, rising fuel prices, and the deterioration of conditions in education. The protests were accompanied by destruction and looting.

Donald Trump attributed the violence to immigration and used images from France in an electoral message published on the Truth Social platform. He urged Americans to vote against the Democrats in the midterm elections, warning that the United States could end up in a similar situation.

Macron announced that on Thursday he would convene a meeting with the intelligence services, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and the ministers involved, for a detailed report on the events. As the “Yellow Vests” have announced new demonstrations for Saturday, the French president warned that the authorities would prevent the provocation of further violence in city centers.

Context: before the criticism from Doha, Macron called for swift investigations and punishment for attacks during the protests

Earlier, Emmanuel Macron announced judicial measures against people involved in vandalism and looting in several French cities, saying that the perpetrators would have to answer before the law and compensate for the damage. He called on the Government to examine how the violence unfolded and insisted on explaining why the intelligence services had not anticipated the scale of the incidents, promising transparency and swift investigations.

Macron called for a distinction to be made between vandals and demonstrators with legitimate demands and stated that, starting Monday, the prime minister would lead a crisis cell to mobilize aid and support victims. During the same days, authorities reported that more than 1,800 people had been arrested, while 855 detentions were reported in Paris; one demonstrator died following cardiac arrest, and police used tear gas.