Donald Trump blames migrants with 'hatred in their hearts' for violent unrest in France: 'Close your borders before it is too late!'
President Donald Trump blamed migrants with "hatred in their hearts" for the violent unrest sweeping across France as he issued a dire warning to the Western world.
On Saturday, police arrested more than 1,800 people as more than 550,000 demonstrators took to the streets across the country.
In major urban areas including Paris, Marseille and Lille, mobs of balaclava-clad thugs were spotted hurling projectiles at officers, with some engaging in looting and setting fires to buildings and cars.
On his Truth Social platform, the United States President declared: "France is burning."
He wrote: "The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country."
Addressing the entire Western world, Mr Trump warned: "Close your borders and take control, before it is too late."
The historic 143-year-old Limoges Town Hall in southwest-central France was "largely lost" after it was torched by rioters, with the blaze causing the roof to collapse onto the lower floors.
Videos of the once-beautiful town hall going up in flames were widely shared across social media, with the vice president reacting to the shocking footage.
He wrote: "Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion.
"They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility. They were told it would lead to this and they didn't listen.
"I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn."
Mr Vance added he hoped "Americans are paying attention" to the violent unrest plaguing the European continent.
FRANCE IN FLAMES - READ THE LATEST:
- Almost 300 protesters arrested as chaos erupts across France again
- Donald Trump blames French protests on 'out of control migration' and 'Islam taking over country'
- French police forced to stop using stun grenades on rioters as President admits response 'too harsh'
"This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country," he warned.
The French Interior Ministry confirmed around 500 emergency service workers - including police officers, gendarmes and firefighters - had been injured during Saturday's unrest.
France's Retail and Trade Federation said roughly 1,500 shops and retailers had been damaged in the widespread disorder.
The Interior Ministry condemned "targeted acts of violence" from "hooded individuals" in major urban centres, adding security personnel had responded to the disorder "swiftly and decisively".
"The movement is marked by a very strong mobilisation of far-left elements, whose sole intent is to incite disorder."
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to hold crisis talks with senior Government officials this afternoon, before delivering an address to the nation at 8pm.
On Saturday, he declared there was "no room for violence in our Republic".
Mr Macron warned: "Those who have broken, attacked the prefectures as well as businesses, looted even our town halls, will be prosecuted and punished.”
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu vowed his administration would not be "intimidated" by violence, as he blamed elements of the "ultra-left" for the unrest.
"To those who clearly want to use this violence as a 'warm-up' before the presidential election, I say clearly – we will not let ourselves be intimidated. No one will impose their political agenda through violence," he wrote online.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
