French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday linked the widespread riots and looting across France to the economic fallout from the U.S.-led war against Iran, arguing that demonstrators are concerned about the cost of living and fuel prices driven by a conflict France has not joined but whose consequences it is suffering.
In a televised address, Macron said demonstrators had expressed concern about the cost of living and the price of fuel, adding that both are driven by the conflict launched in the Persian Gulf. He said he fully understands that concern and noted it is being expressed in several other European capitals as well. Macron said he has taken initiatives at the international level to secure fuel and gas supplies and to act on energy markets, and announced he would travel to the Gulf on a three-nation stop to discuss the energy crisis.
The passage drew immediate criticism from experts and American officials. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he had warned Macron early on to close France's borders, saying the country had been ruined and would find it hard to recover. Vice President JD Vance, in a social media post, criticized France's immigration policy, writing that Western liberals had imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion while ignoring questions of assimilation and compatibility.
Lisa Daftari, an Iran expert and Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief, said fuel is expensive because Iran's regime closed the Strait of Hormuz and held the world's energy supply hostage. She questioned whether the unrest is really about students and fuel prices at all, noting that major infrastructure and landmarks have been set on fire, shops were looted across the country and nearly 2,400 people were arrested in a single day. She described the situation as organized lawlessness rather than a protest over diesel prices, pointing out that Macron's own government has blamed ultra-left groups and criminals.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused the ultra-left movement of orchestrating profound disorder in the country leading up to the presidential election. Macron stressed that those who have tried to bring down the republic will be held accountable.
Barak Seener, an associate research fellow at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, said illegal immigration from the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to European states serves as a Trojan horse to dominate the West. He argued that slogans such as «globalize the intifada» and «Free Gaza» are codes to subvert Western civilization, and said Macron is still making the mistake of ignoring this. Seener also said the French political establishment's political correctness and unilateral support of a Palestinian state have come home to roost, and that Macron is reframing reality to suit his political agenda by addressing students, teachers, trade unions, lawmakers and business leaders about increased oil prices unrelated to the unrest.
The Élysée press office did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication. The French foreign ministry pointed to Macron's televised address and referred other questions to the Élysée.