US embassy in France issues alert urging Americans to avoid protest areas

The US Embassy in France has issued an alert urging American citizens to stay away from areas where large-scale violent protests have broken out across the country.

The embassy announced Monday (local time) that violent demonstrations had erupted in France and that curfews were being imposed in parts of the country, including Paris, according to AFP and other foreign media outlets.

The embassy also warned that Americans who unexpectedly find themselves near a large protest site should exercise caution for their safety.

Protests by high school students demonstrating against poor educational conditions have been spreading across France.

The demonstrations have grown to encompass grievances over insufficient public investment and high prices. Last weekend, the unrest escalated into violence, with protesters setting fire to public facilities and looting stores.

According to France's Interior Ministry, about 550,000 people took part in the protests nationwide, including 110,000 in Paris. More than 2,000 demonstrators have been arrested.

France imposed curfews in Paris and several other cities from Monday night through the early hours of Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump has used the unrest in France to criticize the country's immigration policies.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday, Trump said, "This is not a school problem, this is an immigration problem," adding that France had "let in people who don't love their country, don't love the buildings, don't love the art."

He also said that when he first met French President Emmanuel Macron, he warned him, "You are making a big mistake in France — you are letting in people from all over the world."

Trump said he had also told Macron, "Paris will very soon be a Muslim city," and urged him to "close the borders, or you will destroy your country."

"They have destroyed their country," Trump said of France. "It will be hard to recover, but I hope France comes back."

As anti-government protests have spread across France and other parts of Europe, Trump has consistently attributed the unrest to the acceptance of immigrants.

When the protests in France turned violent on Saturday, Trump wrote on Truth Social the following day that "France is burning," saying that "immigrants from a totally different world, carrying hate in their hearts, have torn apart a country that was once great."