Macron says foreign leaders are "naively spreading narratives" about France’s unrest

Speaking in Qatar, Emmanuel Macron criticized foreign leaders for remarks about France’s recent unrest, saying that during election campaigns they were repeating misleading claims. He did not name them, but when asked whether he meant Donald Trump, he indicated Trump was one of them. Trump, campaigning before US midterms, had blamed the violence on migrants, jihadists and communists; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing elections, described an influx of Islamist extremists. Analysts dismissed migrants as the main cause. The unrest came six months before France’s presidential election, after cost-of-living protests devolved into looting and violence in several cities; the government acknowledged it had not contained Saturday’s riots. Macron promised reinforced security before planned weekend demonstrations and said France did not need emergency powers. Countries issued travel warnings and French bond yields rose, highlighting the crisis’s economic and political stakes.