Russia, MAGA & Israel-linked networks stoked the flames during France riots: Report

Russia exploited violent riots in France to spread fake claims about migrant assaults and terrorist attacks, seeking to fuel anti-immigration sentiment, deepen social divisions and undermine President Emmanuel Macron's government.According to an internal European Union assessment reviewed by Reuters, a covert Russian-linked network known as Operation Overload circulated fabricated videos impersonating western media outlets to exploit the unrest. The report found that the operation sought to portray French leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian.The assessment, which covered October 7 to 21, found no evidence that Russia or any other foreign actor had instigated or escalated the protests.

Instead, it identified an attempt to capitalise on the unrest after it began, using disinformation to amplify existing political and social tensions.The network circulated fabricated reports claiming that migrants had raped protesters and that terrorist attacks were imminent. By presenting these claims through videos resembling reports from established western media organisations, the operation sought to make false information appear credible and encourage public distrust of French authorities.

The EU assessment said Russia sought to "depict the French leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian". It also highlighted how such campaigns exploit domestic instability to fuel fear, division and distrust in democratic institutions.MAGA-linked and Israeli accounts generated millions of viewsA separate assessment by France's foreign ministry examined the reach of social media narratives pushed by Russian, Israeli-linked and MAGA-linked accounts during the unrest.

It found that the 10 most-viewed posts on X from accounts associated with pro-Russian circles received 2.8 million views between October 16 and 18.The reach was significantly higher for accounts linked to the US MAGA movement and Israeli officials, media outlets and influencers. The 10 most-viewed MAGA-linked posts generated more than 49 million views, while the corresponding Israeli-linked posts received more than 35 million views during the same period.These accounts pushed narratives associating the unrest with migration and radical Islamism, according to the French assessment. However, the figures measured the reach of the 10 most-viewed posts in each category and did not establish coordination between the different groups.French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the threat of foreign information manipulation on October 21, although he said there had been no visible foreign interference behind the protests.Russian foreign ministry Maria Zakharova had previously rejected French allegations of Russian disinformation, accusing French authorities of using such claims to manipulate public opinion.Operation Overload has targeted western institutions since 2023The EU assessment identified Operation Overload as a Russian-linked information operation that has been active since September 2023. It targets western public figures, institutions and media organisations to discredit them and promote narratives aligned with Russian interests.The network uses several techniques, including impersonating established media outlets, creating fabricated news videos, cloning experts' voices using artificial intelligence, forging newspaper headlines and manipulating photographs.Research by the UK-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) has also documented the network's activities, describing it as a persistent, high-volume Russian information operation.The operation has repeatedly shifted its focus between countries, exploiting political controversies, public protests and other major developments to spread misleading narratives.