French President Emmanuel Macron denounced foreign officials who he said were leveraging recent unrest in France for political gain, calling their remarks unacceptable and misleading.

Speaking in Doha, Qatar, during a diplomatic trip aimed at securing fuel supplies, Macron stated that some leaders had spread misinformation suggesting the protests, which began over rising living costs and escalated into weekend riots, were driven by an immigrant takeover. He said such claims were false and part of a broader pattern of interference.

The comments came in response to questions about remarks made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who claimed France was being "conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists" during a rally ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Trump and his allies had amplified social media posts linking the unrest to immigration and religious tensions, despite no evidence supporting those narratives.

Vice President JD Vance also referenced the French riots in a post on X, warning that similar chaos could spread to the United States if Democrats won elections. The post was accompanied by a video of French rioters and echoed rhetoric from immigration enforcement accounts.

Macron did not name specific individuals but indicated that some foreign leaders were using the situation to advance their own agendas, particularly during election cycles. He emphasized that while France faced challenges, it was managing them with firmness and responsibility.

The protests that swept France in recent weeks involved a broad coalition of students, labor unions, farmers, and transportation workers, all expressing grievances over economic pressures, including rising energy and food prices. Over half a million people participated in demonstrations across major cities, including Paris, before some protests turned violent, with incidents of arson and property damage reported.

Authorities attributed the violence to a small number of extremist groups and imposed curfews to restore order. French officials noted that the unrest was not centered on migration or religion, though far-right figures and online influencers had promoted narratives linking the protests to immigrant or extremist activity.

Some foreign officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, made public statements framing the protests as signs of Europe’s decline due to migration and energy policy shifts. These claims were shared widely online despite lacking factual basis.

Meanwhile, some European commentators pointed to images of protesters carrying Palestinian flags as evidence of foreign influence, though such symbols were part of a broader range of expressions among demonstrators. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined student protests in France earlier this month, reflecting solidarity with local grievances over underfunded public services.

Macron reiterated that France was working to address economic concerns, including energy costs influenced by global conflicts. He noted that his visit to the Gulf was partly intended to help stabilize prices affected by wars that France had not initiated but that were impacting its citizens.

The situation remains under close observation, with French authorities emphasizing the need to separate legitimate policy debates from inflammatory rhetoric used for political advantage abroad.