The problem in France is obvious, but Macron still finds a way to deflect
By Easton Martin
French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed warnings about mass immigration and Islamist extremism as “stupid,” accusing President Donald Trump and other foreign leaders of exploiting France’s unrest for political gain. His response reveals a familiar tactic from European political elites, to attack the people raising questions rather than confront the failures that made those questions unavoidable.
Macron insists that claims about France being overrun by migrants and Islamists are “completely false.” Yet he has offered no detailed public accounting to substantiate that sweeping dismissal. Macron is in no position to call out foreign leaders. He is failing his country, and deflecting his frustrations towards the only people who seem to understand why he is in the position he is in.
The French president is attempting to turn a debate about national security into an argument over political motives. He accuses foreign leaders of using France’s problems for electoral advantage, as though the political motivations of those discussing a crisis somehow determine whether their arguments are true. Macron’s personal indignation does nothing to change his responsibility for his country’s crisis.
France’s problems did not begin with a few social media posts. Years of mass immigration and failures of integration have fueled a crisis of national identity, public safety and the future of French society. Islamist extremism has also presented a documented security challenge across Europe. Those realities cannot be erased by blaming anything and everything beyond the obvious.
Macron has also attempted to redirect attention toward political groups he blames for the violence. His government has acknowledged serious security shortcomings and is preparing a substantially reinforced police presence ahead of further demonstrations. French authorities have investigated arson and other violent acts, including an attack on the city hall in Limoges.
France does not need lectures from Macron about which questions its citizens and foreign leaders are permitted to ask. Their government must be willing to confront immigration failures, investigate political violence and protect ordinary people from the consequences of disorder.
