Israel, Russia, MAGA Accounts Exploited French Riots to Fuel Anti-Immigrant Rage

Accounts linked to Israel, Russia, and the MAGA movement exploited recent riots in France to amplify anti-immigrant sentiment, according to internal European Union and French Foreign Ministry assessments reported by Reuters. These external actors aimed to promote anti-immigration narratives and portray the French government as having lost control during the violent unrest that erupted last month.

European disinformation experts identified attempts by these groups to leverage internal Western crises for political gain. The riots, initially sparked by the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services, became fertile ground for online campaigns. French government-linked accounts, media outlets, and influencers from Israel and right-wing American circles intensified messaging connecting the street violence to uncontrolled immigration and radical Islam.

Data from the French Foreign Ministry indicated that Israeli and MAGA-affiliated accounts achieved significantly higher reach than pro-Russian networks. Between October 16 and 18, top posts from MAGA-aligned sources on X (formerly Twitter) garnered over 49 million views, while similar posts from Israeli accounts received more than 35 million views. In contrast, top pro-Russian posts during the same period had only about 2.8 million views.

The EU's External Action Service also uncovered a Russian network, "Operation Overload," active since September 2023. This network aims to undermine Western institutions, erode support for Ukraine, and depict French President Emmanuel Macron as weak and authoritarian. It disseminated misleading videos, some using AI for voice cloning and image manipulation, to mimic legitimate news reports. False claims circulated, including accusations of immigrants raping protesters and imminent terror attacks.

While the EU stressed there was no evidence of foreign instigation behind the protests themselves, they characterized the activity as an "opportunistic exploitation of civil unrest." A RAND Corporation expert noted these campaigns are part of an ongoing "narrative war" to inflame public anger against immigrants and push European electorates towards political extremes. President Macron acknowledged the findings, stating that while foreign intervention wasn't the cause of the protests, "foreign information manipulation" was evident. Israel's Prime Minister's office and Foreign Ministry did not comment, and Moscow has previously dismissed similar claims as fabrications.