Trump Blames 'Islam and Immigration' for Student Protests in France - Sarmad

US President Donald Trump said that what is happening in France is “no less than an uncontrolled mass migration,” linking it to Islam rather than to a school crisis.

Trump added, “This is not an issue about schools; it is about Islam and its desire to take control of a country that was once great.”

Trump’s comments come as France experiences a wave of student protests. According to Euronews, the demonstrations began on September 17 in Créteil, in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, where teachers and students protested staff shortages at a high school, before spreading to various parts of the country.

Protesters say their grievances center on the dilapidated state of some school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and staff shortages, particularly in working-class neighborhoods. According to data from the French Ministry of Education, 589 out of approximately 3,700 high schools experienced disruptions on Monday, up from nearly 800 schools on Friday.

According to the French Interior Minister, police arrested more than 5,000 people during the past week, 85% of whom were minors. Since the start of the movement, 215 students and more than 700 security personnel, as well as around 100 education sector workers, have been injured.

The French Interior Ministry estimated the number of demonstrators on Tuesday at around 256,000 nationwide, including 56,000 in Paris, while the “Student Union of High Schools” estimated participation at around 450,000.

On the political level, the French government accuses the left-wing party “La France Insoumise” of stoking the unrest, while the party denies these allegations and accuses authorities of reducing the protest movement to itself.