TRUMP BLAMES FRANCE RIOTS ON MIGRATION

US President Donald Trump blamed riots in France on migration and criticised French President Emmanuel Macron’s border policies. Trump said he had urged Macron to close France’s borders years ago. He claimed that “Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon”. Trump said Macron was making “a big mistake” by allowing people from around the world into France. He added that the United States had closed its borders while France had not.

Weeks of student demonstrations over school conditions preceded the wider riots and anti-government protests in France. The movement grew after the French government announced major spending reductions and a wage freeze for state employees. Fires, vandalism and damage to buildings have accompanied the protests in city centres. Authorities have deployed riot police. Thousands of injuries have been reported among protesters and law enforcement officers.

Macron condemned what he called “unbridled violence” in a televised address the day before Trump’s remarks. That address followed a day when buildings burned, hundreds of shops were destroyed and at least 2,400 people were arrested. Trump spoke before leaving for a campaign rally in Wichita, Kansas. He said he had known Macron for “maybe eight or nine years” and had warned him about France’s borders soon after they met. Trump also said France had “a little bit of a problem with energy”.