WASHINGTON, October 20. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump believes that the situation involving immigrants in Italy, France, and several other European countries can be compared to a "boiler waiting to explode."

Commenting on mass unrest in Italy and France while speaking to reporters at the White House, he confirmed that he views the situation primarily as a problem of immigrants refusing to assimilate. "If you look at Italy and France, it has to do with immigration. And I told all of them (European leaders - TASS) that this would happen. That's a boiler waiting to explode. It's a very sad thing to watch," he said.

Mass demonstrations against rising fuel prices and declining purchasing power took place in Paris and across France on October 17. According to organizers, 800,000 people participated in the protests, while the Interior Ministry put the figure at 550,000. In several cities, the protests escalated into riots and clashes with police. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported that 1,800 people had been detained nationwide and pledged that the authorities would continue to prosecute everyone involved in rioting and looting.