Macron blasts 'unacceptable' and 'stupid' commentary on French protests from other leaders

Macron said he would hold a meeting with ministers and intelligence officials on his return on Thursday to get a “detailed account” of what happened and preparations for this weekend’s protests. (Yoan Valat/Pool Photo via AP)

French president Emmanuel Macron blasted “unacceptable” and “stupid” comments on the protests and riots in France from foreign leaders, accusing them of “campaigning at our expense.”

Speaking to reporters from Doha, visibly annoyed Macron said he was frustrated by “visible manipulation of information” about the events in France, “that were unacceptable and stupid from many quarters, including from foreign leaders.” 

“For instance, we saw images generated by artificial intelligence depicting scenes that never actually occurred in France. Some people even claimed that we had been overrun by hordes of migrants and Islamists – which is completely false.” 

US president Donald Trump explicitly suggested that, repeatedly, and several EU leaders sort of said similar things, linking the protests with migration, including Hungary’s Péter Magyar and Poland’s Donald Tusk. 

Macron said he was particularly annoyed by political leaders “whether in our own region or on the other side of the Atlantic, gullibly repeating claims generated by AI or echoing narratives that certain circles with to propagate … it is clear that they are campaigning at our expense.” 

He said these comments “reveal who loves France and who does not.” 

Macron said he would hold a meeting with ministers and intelligence officials on his return on Thursday to get a “detailed account” of what happened and preparations for this weekend’s protests.

- The Guardian