France's Unrest: Foreign Influence
Internal assessments indicate that Russian, Israeli, and MAGA-linked social media accounts amplified specific narratives during October's riots in France.
By Nadia Rahman ·
France's Foreign Ministry and the European Union concluded that foreign-linked social media accounts amplified hostile narratives during the riots that swept the country in October. The internal assessments, reviewed by Reuters, identify coordinated efforts to tie the domestic unrest to radical Islamism and uncontrolled migration. These reports suggest that outside actors sought to exploit the violence to shape public perception.
The unrest began in October as demonstrations against rising living costs and declining public services turned into widespread violence. The EU analysis covers the period from October 7 to 21. During this window, a covert Russian network known as Operation Overload targeted French audiences. The network used videos impersonating Western media outlets to spread claims that migrants had raped protesters or that terrorist attacks were imminent. The report describes this activity as opportunistic exploitation of existing unrest rather than a direct instigation of the protests.
The French ministry's assessment focused on the reach of these narratives on the X platform. From October 16 to 18, the 10 most-viewed posts from pro-Russian spheres drew 2.8 million views. Posts tied to the MAGA movement garnered significantly more attention, with the top 10 posts by MAGA-linked officials, media outlets, and influencers gaining more than 49 million views in the same period. Israeli accounts also saw high engagement, with the 10 most-viewed posts from Israeli officials, government accounts, and influencers exceeding 35 million views.
Operation Overload has been active since September 2023. The network targets Western public figures, institutions, and media outlets to discredit their support for Ukraine. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue described the operation as persistent and high-volume, noting that it uses artificial intelligence to clone voices and forge headlines. France's disinformation watchdog, Viginum, published a detailed report on these operations in 2024. French officials state that such networks resurface during protests and elections to discredit the country.
President Emmanuel Macron addressed the issue on October 21. He stated that there was no visible foreign interference behind the protests, but acknowledged foreign manipulation of information. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the Russian Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. In August, Russian spokesperson Maria Zakharova rejected similar allegations, calling them a concoction to manipulate public opinion.
Elina Treyger, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, described these efforts as a slow-burning narrative competition. She noted that such campaigns can shape how Western democracies are perceived and feed an anti-immigrant backlash among European voters.
Reuters noted that it could not independently verify the assertions in either report. The EU document, prepared by disinformation experts in the bloc's diplomatic service, remains in restricted circulation.
