French and EU Assessments Say Foreign Accounts Exploited Last Month’s Riots

Two internal European assessments seen by Reuters say outside actors tried to exploit last month’s riots in France. A French Foreign Ministry assessment found that social media accounts linked to Israel and the US MAGA movement pushed “hostile narratives,” tying the unrest to radical Islamism and migration.

Foreign Network “Operation Overload” Targeted France’s Unrest With Fake Videos, EU Says

A separate internal EU assessment found a covert Russian network known as “Operation Overload” used social media to blame the unrest on uncontrolled immigration and portray the government as having lost control. Reuters could not independently verify either assessment.

The French report said the 10 most-viewed X posts from MAGA-linked officials, media outlets and influencers drew more than 49 million views from 16 to 18 October. Posts from Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets and influencers drew more than 35 million, versus 2.8 million for pro-Russian accounts.

The EU analysis said Operation Overload spread videos impersonating Western media, some falsely claiming migrants had raped protesters or that attacks were imminent. It found no evidence that Moscow or others instigated or escalated the protests, calling it “opportunistic exploitation.”

Netanyahu’s office, Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Macron said on 21 October there was no visible foreign interference behind the protests, but there had been “foreign manipulation of information.”