French Report Alleges Israeli Accounts Spread 'False' Messages During Riots
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
A French Foreign Ministry report alleges that Israeli-linked social media accounts spread "false" messages during recent riots, connecting them to immigration and radical Islam. These posts reportedly garnered over 35 million views in three days, significantly more than pro-Russian content. French officials, including President Macron, criticized remarks by Prime Minister Netanyahu that linked the riots to Hamas. The report also noted significant activity from accounts associated with the US MAGA movement and identified foreign disinformation campaigns from Russia.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- French report accuses Israeli accounts of spreading "false" messages linking riots to immigration.
- Israeli posts reportedly gained over 35 million views, exceeding pro-Russian content.
- French President Macron called PM Netanyahu's remarks on the riots "unacceptable and foolish."
- US MAGA-linked accounts also generated significant engagement during the French riots.
- EU report details Russian disinformation efforts exploiting the French unrest.
A French Foreign Ministry report has accused Israeli-linked social media accounts of disseminating "false" messages that sought to connect the recent riots in France to immigration and radical Islam, according to Reuters. The internal document, which has not been publicly released, claims that ten of the most viewed posts from Israeli senior officials, government accounts, media outlets, and influencers between October 16 and 18 garnered over 35 million views. This exposure significantly surpassed that of pro-Russian accounts, whose top ten posts received 2.8 million views.
While the report did not identify specific Israeli accounts, French media highlighted statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who linked the riots to Hamas and suggested similar events could occur in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Netanyahu's remarks as "unacceptable and foolish." The French government maintains that the protests were primarily driven by the cost of living, not immigration.
The report also noted that accounts associated with the American MAGA movement were prominent, with their top ten posts accumulating over 49 million views. One OSINT investigation cited in the article detailed an AI-generated image shared by an account identifying as French but living in Israel, which falsely depicted the riots and blamed Macron and the far-left for turning France into a war zone, garnering approximately 6.1 million views.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated in an interview that roughly two-thirds of social media content linking the protests to immigration originated from outside France, implicating actors from Israel, the United States, Russia, and sometimes China in attempting to distort events and damage France's image. Separately, an EU report indicated Russian involvement in spreading disinformation, using a network called "Operation Overload" to disseminate fabricated videos and false claims aimed at weakening the French government and undermining support for Ukraine.
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