President of United States (US) Donald Trump has claimed that Paris will become a Muslim city “very soon”, blaming immigration for the protests and violence in France and urging President Emmanuel Macron to tighten border controls.
“Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon,” Trump told reporters in Washington DC on Monday, as he renewed his criticism of France’s immigration policies and warned that Europe risked collapse unless countries closed their borders and removed people he described as criminals.
Trump said that the unrest in France stemmed from immigration rather than schools or other domestic concerns, repeating remarks he had made a day earlier.
“What’s happening in France has to do with immigration, not schools, not anything,” he said. “It’s immigration, and I told President Emmanuel Macron, close up your borders.”
The US president also recalled warning Macron about France’s approach to immigration, saying that he had told the French leader that allowing people from around the world to enter the country was a mistake.
“Emmanuel, look, he’s a friend of mine. I told him a long time ago, you’re making a big mistake in France,” Trump said.
Trump extended his criticism to other European countries, saying that they needed to tighten border controls and remove people he accused of engaging in criminal activity.
“If Europe doesn’t close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished,” he said.
His remarks came after demonstrations over rising prices and dissatisfaction with education funding and public services took place in Paris and other French cities over the weekend. Some protests escalated into clashes with police, looting, arson and attacks on property.
Nearly 2,400 people have been arrested across France over the weekend, according to reports, as the violence brought the government’s handling of the unrest under scrutiny.
Prime Minister (PM) of France Sébastien Lecornu directed authorities to introduce targeted curfews in areas affected by the violence, while ruling out a blanket curfew across Paris. He also left open the possibility of further emergency measures if the unrest continued.
Emmanuel Macron also faced questions over the security response. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered to resign following criticism of police response, but Macron did not accept his resignation and called for improvements in security planning and intelligence operations.
