PARIS: US President Donald Trump has blamed Islam and mass immigration for ongoing student protests in France, saying the unrest is not about the country’s education system.
According to Agence France-Presse, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that events in France were the result of uncontrolled immigration.
“This is not about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a great country,” Trump said in his post.
Students in France have been protesting against the education system, teacher shortages and admission policies. Authorities have closed schools across the country for a week as demonstrations have intensified.
About 5,000 people have been arrested during two weeks of protests, according to the report.
France 24 reported that Trump was further promoting his global right-wing political message ahead of the closely contested U.S. midterm elections.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot pushed back against Trump’s comments, saying France should not allow other countries to interpret the unrest in its own way.
“If we do not write our own story, others will write it for us,” Barrot said.
