\n<\/p>\n
PARIS — <\/span>French President Emmanuel Macron<\/a> said Wednesday that foreign leaders \u2014 including those \u201con the other side of the Atlantic\u201d \u2014 are trying to exploit France’s tense social climate for their own political agenda.<\/p>\n Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting<\/a> in France. <\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump has used the violence to rally his political supporters<\/a>, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest, and urging Macron to \u201cclose your borders and take control before it is too late!\u201d<\/p>\n Macron responded by saying there \u201chas been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath\u201d of the looting in Paris and other French cities last weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that has led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Asked by a reporter if he was referring to Trump, Macron replied: \u201cAmong others.\u201d <\/p>\n Macron then added that there have been “AI-generated images depicting scenes that never actually happened in France. We\u2019ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false.\u201d<\/p>\n Macron did not specify which AI-generated images he was referring to, nor how he knew the content was false. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said its office can provide the countries concerned with the necessary clarification, \u201cto help them avoid spreading or amplifying false information and making baseless claims on social media.\u201d<\/p>\n