French President Emmanuel Macron has lashed out at what he described as foreign leaders "campaigning at France's expense", in an apparent reference to comments made by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding recent unrest in France.
Speaking at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, Macron said he had seen no evidence of foreign interference in the weekend disturbances. However, he accused various actors of manipulating information and spreading false narratives about events in France.
"Some are campaigning at France's expense," Macron said. "Leaders who are in an election period in the Middle East or on the other side of the Atlantic are sometimes repeating what appears on artificial intelligence platforms or spreading what certain groups want people to believe."
Claims of misinformation
Macron specifically rejected assertions that France has been "invaded" by migrants or Islamists.
"We have seen AI-generated images depicting scenes that never happened in France. Some have claimed that we are being invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists. That is completely false," he said.
The French president argued that reactions to the unrest revealed who genuinely supported France.
"At moments like these, we see who loves France and who does not. Those who speak badly about our country at this time clearly do not love it, and those people bother me."
Trump and Netanyahu remarks
Speaking at a campaign rally in Kansas on Monday, Trump said France was being "invaded, looted and burned by migrants, jihadists and communists".
The US president linked the situation to domestic politics, warning supporters that similar developments could occur in the United States if Democrats prevailed in November's midterm elections.
Netanyahu struck a similar tone on Tuesday, saying France had "succumbed to the invasion of extremist Islam" during comments made while campaigning ahead of Israeli elections.
Le Pen hits back
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, widely viewed as a leading contender in France's 2027 presidential election, criticised Macron's remarks on X.
Accusing the French president of promoting "conspiracy theories", she rejected his claims about misinformation and AI-generated content.
"The images we saw last Saturday were not created by artificial intelligence," Le Pen wrote. "They reflect the sad reality of France after ten years of Macron in power."
The exchange marks a further escalation in the political debate surrounding recent unrest in France, with migration, security and misinformation once again emerging as central campaign issues.
