Trump says Paris will become ‘Muslim city’ amid unrest in France

US President Donald Trump has laid the blame for the unrest engulfing France on immigration and predicted the French capital would become a “Muslim city very soon”.

“This has to do with immigration, not schools, not anything,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday, according to AFP.

“Paris is going to be a Muslim city soon, and that wasn’t the agreement,” he said, recalling how he previously spoke with Macron on the phone and told him not to take any more in.

Trump also demanded the borders be shut for the European nations, saying that violence was being caused by the influx of foreigners.

His comments follow protests at the weekend over the high cost of living and declining public services which degenerated into riots, looting and running battles with police in a number of French towns.

They introduced local restrictions on movement and gatherings in some areas of Paris and elsewhere in the wake of the unrest. The violence has added to pressure on Macron’s government over law and order issues.

The French government, meanwhile, has taken flak over its response to the protests and political leaders are at odds over what has sparked the violence. Trump’s comments have also made immigration a hot topic of debate across the Atlantic.