PARIS: The “yellow vest” protests that have made headlines around the world are garnering France some unwanted attention, particularly from foreign leaders not exactly known for their defence of liberal democracy.
French officials have gone so far as to accuse other nations of “interference” in its domestic affairs over claims the crisis has laid bare the shortcomings of President Emmanuel Macron’s policies.
Both Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Italy’s far-right leader Matteo Salvini have criticised Macron over the violent protests, as has his “friend” US President Donald Trump.
“Very sad day & night in Paris. Maybe it’s time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes?” Trump tweeted over the weekend.
The comments earned him a stern rebuke from Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who on Sunday told the US leader to “leave our nation be”.
France is also looking into claims that Russian-linked social media accounts are trying to stir up trouble by spreading misinformation designed to amplify the protests.
A source close to the inquiry said that the prime minister’s security and defence directorate was coordinating the investigation of suspect accounts.
But the source said it was too early to confirm a claim in Britain’s Times newspaper that hundreds of accounts linked to Russia were being used to stoke the demonstrations.
Bloomberg news, citing the US-based Alliance for Securing Democracy, has also reported that #giletsjaunes (“yellow vests”) has become the top hashtag on 600 Twitter accounts promoting Kremlin views.
“That’s a pretty strong indication that there is interest in amplifying the conflict,” Bloomberg quoted the alliance’s social media analyst Bret Schafer as saying. — AFP
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