Reuters: covert Russian network sought to exploit unrest in France
A covert Russian network sought to exploit last month’s riots in France through social media, blaming uncontrolled immigration for the unrest and portraying the French government as having lost control, according to an internal European Union assessment reviewed by Reuters.
A separate internal assessment prepared by the French Foreign Ministry, also reviewed by the agency, found that social media accounts linked to Israel and the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement likewise promoted “hostile narratives” about the riots, associating them with Islamist extremism and immigration.
European counter-disinformation experts said the two assessments, taken together, provide a clear picture of how foreign actors sought to exploit domestic unrest in France to advance their own political objectives.
The EU analysis found that a covert Russian network known as “Operation Overload” circulated videos impersonating Western media outlets to target French audiences. Some contained false claims that migrants had raped protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Last August, ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova rejected accusations by a French government watchdog concerning the dissemination of disinformation about France’s elections scheduled for 2027. She said this would “not be the last ploy used by the authorities to manipulate public opinion”.
Riots broke out in several French cities last month after demonstrations against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services spiralled out of control, producing one of the country’s worst waves of violence in decades.
The EU analysis, covering the period from 7 to 21 October, concluded that Russia sought to “portray the French leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian”.
“Such events provide opportunities to undermine national governments, stoke fear and division, and shape public perceptions ahead of elections,” said the restricted-circulation document, prepared by counter-disinformation experts in the EU’s diplomatic service.
The experts found no evidence that Moscow or other actors had instigated the protests or caused them to escalate. They described the activities as “opportunistic exploitation of unrest”.
The French Foreign Ministry’s assessment found that the ten most-viewed posts on X about the unrest from pro-Russian circles accumulated 2.8 million views between 16 and 18 October.
Those figures were modest, however, compared with the views generated by posts about the riots on X from accounts linked to the MAGA movement, as well as Israeli officials and influencers.
According to the ministry’s report, the ten most-viewed posts about the unrest in France from officials, media outlets and influencers linked to the US movement received more than 49 million views between 16 and 18 October.
The ten most-viewed posts from Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets and influencers generated more than 35 million views over the same period.
Elina Treyger, a senior political scientist at the RAND research organisation, said such campaigns set off a “competition over narratives” that could, over time, influence how Western democracies are perceived both within Europe and beyond.
She added that these campaigns fuel anti-immigrant reactions, pushing European voters towards political extremism.
Reuters could not independently verify the allegations contained in the French and EU assessments.
When asked for comment, French officials referred Reuters to remarks by President Emmanuel Macron. On 21 October, he said there had been no clear foreign interference behind the protests, but there had been “foreign information manipulation”.
Neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office nor Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.
