A covert Russian network sought to exploit last month's riots in France by using social media to blame the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portray authorities as having lost control of the situation, according to an internal European Union (EU) assessment seen by Reuters.
A separate internal assessment by the French Foreign Ministry ... found that social media accounts linked to Israel and the US MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement were also spreading "hostile narratives" about the riots, linking them to radical Islamism and migration.
Taken together, these assessments provide insight into how external actors have attempted to exploit internal unrest in France to further their own political goals, according to an analysis by European disinformation experts.
An EU analysis found that a covert Russian network known as "Operation Overload" was spreading videos falsely posing as Western media content, targeting French audiences. Some of them falsely claimed that migrants were raping protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent.
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The EU analysis, covering the period from October 7 to 21, found that Russia sought to "portray the French leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian."
"Such events provide an opportunity to undermine national governments, incite fear and division, and shape public perceptions ahead of elections," said the EU document with limited distribution, prepared by disinformation experts in the Union's diplomatic service.
The analysis found no evidence that Moscow or other actors incited the protests or contributed to their escalation, but described their activities as "opportunistic exploitation of the unrest."
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An estimate by the French Foreign Ministry showed that the ten most viewed posts on the X network about the unrest, originating from "pro-Russian circles", generated 2,8 million views from October 16 to 18.
However, those numbers were significantly lower than the number of views of posts about the riots spread by accounts associated with the MAGA movement, as well as Israeli officials and influencers.
The ten most viewed posts about the unrest in France, posted on X by officials, media outlets and influencers linked to the MAGA movement, generated more than 49 million views from October 16 to 18, according to a report by the French ministry.
The ten most viewed posts by Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets and influencers generated more than 35 million views in the same period, according to the French report.
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The EU report states that "Operation Overload", active since September 2023, is directed against Western "public figures, institutions and media", with the aim of "discrediting these actors and their support for Ukraine, while promoting content aligned with Russian interests".
The network's activities "also aimed to undermine European support for Ukraine by claiming that European governments were prioritizing Ukraine over domestic problems," the report said.
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The French counter-disinformation agency Viginum published a detailed report in 2024 on "Operation Overload" and similar Russian operations, and French officials have stated that they are reactivated during protests, elections, or other occasions that can serve to discredit France.
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