Foreign accounts spread posts about French riots
A French government analysis points to Russian, Israeli and American accounts that amplified misleading stories about the protests.
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Foreign social-media accounts spread misleading posts during the French riots that were viewed millions of times. This is shown by an analysis by the French Foreign Ministry, which Reuters says was seen by several people involved.
The analysis focused on posts about the unrest that emerged in France in October. According to Reuters, the ten most-viewed posts from pro-Russian networks received a combined 2.8 million views between 16 and 18 October. Among other things, the posts linked the protest to migration, Islamism or an alleged foreign conspiracy.
Accounts that the analysis says are connected to Israel and the American MAGA movement are also said to have spread hostile narratives. This does not mean that every user or every political movement behind the posts was part of a single coordinated operation. The analysis refers to networks and accounts, not to all supporters of those currents.
Fact-checkers also found footage that was wrongly linked to the French riots. A video of a burning school bus was from 2023; other footage showed a shop being looted in Los Angeles. Images of earlier protests and football celebrations were also presented again as current scenes from France.
The French government speaks of foreign manipulation, while other political actors point mainly to domestic causes such as the high cost of living, problems in education and inadequate public services. These explanations do not fully exclude one another: misleading online posts can intensify an existing conflict without being its original cause.
For users in the Netherlands, the main lesson is that reach is not proof. A post with millions of views may still contain old, mislabelled or manipulated footage. The analyses described provide indications of influence, but do not establish for every individual post the identity, intention or direct direction of the person who spread it.
Also show where in Europe and in the world
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Misleading and wrongly labelled footage about the French riots circulated online.
- A French analysis links part of the spread to foreign networks.
- The original protests also had domestic causes, including concerns about the cost of living and public services.
Left
Arguments Emphasises that disinformation exploits social tensions and that platforms and states must take greater responsibility for verifiable information.
Values Protection of democratic debate, social equality and public trust.
Consequences Fears that migrants and minorities will become targets of false stories and that genuine social problems will fade into the background.
Centre
Arguments Wants foreign interference tackled without censoring legitimate political expression or journalism.
Values Proportionality, transparency and freedom of thought.
Consequences Warns that overly broad labels such as disinformation could also suppress criticism of the government.
Right
Arguments Emphasises that governments must demonstrate the scale of foreign interference and that platforms must not act as political referees.
Values Freedom of expression, evidence and limited state power.
Consequences Fears that fact-checking will be used selectively and that governments will attribute their own mistakes or policies to foreign actors.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The analysis of foreign accounts and the examples of wrongly labelled footage are supported by Reuters, AAP and Le Monde. The text avoids claiming that all accounts were directed by a single actor.
- confirmed The ten most-viewed pro-Russian posts received 2.8 million views between 16 and 18 October. — Reuters cites this figure from the French analysis. source
- confirmed Footage of a burning school bus from 2023 was circulated as showing current French riots. — Le Monde and AAP FactCheck describe the wrongly labelled footage. source
- uncertain The identity or direction behind not every account has been established. — The sources used describe networks and patterns, but not every individual account. source
Editor's note
The spread of misleading footage and the view figures cited are source-dependent. The identity and direction behind individual accounts have not been established for all posts.Sources
- Covert Russian network exploited French riots on social media, EU report says — Reuters via MarketScreener
- Fake footage of French riots spreads online — AAP FactCheck
- October 17 protests triggered a large-scale wave of disinformation — Le Monde
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „frankrijk desinformatie”
- NOS — „frankrijk desinformatie”
- Het Parool — „frankrijk desinformatie”