Macron rebukes foreign leaders for politicising France unrest

President Macron delivered his remarks while in Doha on an official visit to Gulf states, taking aim at unnamed foreign leaders who he said had weaponised France's domestic civil unrest for electoral advantage.

The French leader's comments appear directed at international figures who have publicly commented on the riots that swept France in recent weeks. Macron expressed frustration that some governments were using internal French affairs as fodder for their own political campaigns, a practice he characterised as inappropriate interference.

France experienced significant civil disturbances following high-profile incidents that prompted widespread protests and social unrest across multiple cities. The riots drew international attention and commentary from various world leaders, some of whom offered observations on the situation.

Macron's rebuke underscores ongoing tensions between France and certain international actors over interference in domestic matters. The French president has sought to frame the riots as an internal French issue requiring domestic solutions, rather than material for international political consumption.

The remarks reflect broader European sensitivities about foreign powers leveraging internal crises to advance geopolitical or electoral agendas, a concern that has grown amid rising international polarisation.