US President Donald Trump has called for stricter border controls in France, blaming immigration for unrest that erupted during nationwide demonstrations on Saturday, October 17.
Trump made the comments in a Truth Social post on Sunday, October 18, arguing that France needed tougher immigration restrictions. However, French authorities have not established immigration as the cause of the violence.
The demonstrations attracted between 550,000 and 800,000 participants, according to government figures and estimates from organisers. Protesters raised concerns about living costs, conditions in schools and public services.
While many participants demonstrated peacefully, violence broke out in several cities as groups looted commercial premises, set fires and clashed with police. Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Bordeaux were among the locations affected.
In Limoges, central France, a fire severely damaged the city’s historic town hall, a 19th-century landmark whose roof collapsed during the incident.
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French authorities reported approximately 1,800 arrests by Sunday, including more than 850 in the Paris region. Security personnel were also injured during confrontations with protesters.
Officials attributed the violence to radical far-left groups and individuals involved in looting and vandalism. Their assessment did not identify immigration as an established cause of the attacks.
Trump’s latest remarks followed comments on October 6, when he similarly linked French student protests to mass migration and Islam.
The unrest has presented a challenge for President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, which faces demands to restore public order and address the grievances behind the demonstrations.
The incidents have also brought renewed attention to the competing explanations offered by political leaders for France’s unrest, particularly the distinction between the protesters’ stated grievances and the actions of those involved in violence.