A Russian influence network allegedly circulated false material blaming the violence on uncontrolled migration and portraying the French government as unable to manage the situation. According to internal assessments by the European Union and France, similar narratives were also promoted by accounts linked to the MAGA movement in the United States and to certain Israeli officials or influencers.
Russia allegedly sought to exploit social unrest in France in October to stoke tensions over immigration and undermine public trust in the authorities, according to an internal European Union assessment seen by Reuters.
Another report, prepared by the French Foreign Ministry and seen by the news agency, shows that social media accounts linked to Israel and the American MAGA movement also spread messages critical of France. These accounts linked the protests to radical Islamism and migration.
The two assessments offer insight into how external actors may have sought to exploit France’s domestic instability to advance their own political objectives, Reuters notes.
A Russian network allegedly spread fabricated content presented as news
According to a European analysis, a covert Russian network known as “Operation Overload” allegedly circulated videos masquerading as reports from Western media outlets in an effort to influence French audiences.
Some of these materials falsely claimed that migrants had raped protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent.
The report states that the campaign aimed to portray France’s leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian.
“Such events create opportunities to undermine national governments, stoke fear and division, and influence public opinion ahead of elections,” the document states.
European analysts, however, found no evidence that Moscow or other external actors had instigated or fuelled the protests. The document characterises the activity as an opportunistic exploitation of existing unrest.
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