‘Stupid talk’: France rejects Trump’s attempt to blame unrest on migration

The US president has turned his attention to France, but his comments appear to have been dismissed by French leader Macron. Save Share Paris, France –As France reels from violent clashes during protests, riots and looting, the blame game is on. One argument making waves across the political spectrum – and across the Atlantic – is that migrants and open-border policies are responsible. “If Europe doesn’t close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished,” United States President Donald Trump said at the White House on Monday. “When I look at France, when you look atItaly, when you look at all the turmoil and the hatred – that’s not about school. That’s about people coming into the countries that hate the country.” French President Emmanuel Macron has since slammed “stupid comments by many, including foreign leaders”, but did not name Trump. Speaking during a visit in Qatar, he said there was no evidence of foreign interference behind the riots. Young student protesters in France were unimpressed by Trump’s intervention. Bilal Narjissi, a 17-year-old student at the Paul Eluard high school near Paris, one of the first to witness protests, called it “stupid talk”. “They can think whatever they like. We’re focusing on the main subject, which is the students’ demands,” Narjissi said. “The far right has to say these kinds of things because they base their politics and political programmes on instilling fear.” Emmanuel Dupuy, president of the Institute for European Perspective and Security Studies, a think tank on diplomacy and political analysis, said Trump’s argument was aimed at American voters. “It’s an artificial argument used as a political tool in the context of midterm elections,” he said. “They are trying to argue that what is happening in France would happen in the US if Democrats get elected.” Trump’s comments came after largely peaceful high school student demonstrations in France descended into chaos over the weekend when rioters attacked city halls and looted stores, marking the most violent unrest in France in years. More than 2,000 people were placed in police custody – the vast majority of them minors – and thousands of businesses were ransacked. Accused of letting the situation spiral, French authorities imposed partial and temporary curfews in certain cities across the country, including in areas of Paris....