A protester wrapped in a French flag stands with smoke all around on a street in Lille on 17 October.Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Image caption,

Protesters rallied in Lille along with other cities across the country

ByPatrick Jackson, Marco Silva and Thomas Copeland, BBC Verify
  • Published6 hours ago

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused foreign leaders of exploiting the riots which erupted across the country on Saturday for electoral purposes.

Without naming them, he said they were campaigning for forthcoming elections "at France's expense" with their comments on the violence, which erupted on the fringe of cost-of-living protests.