Europe examines possible foreign influence on unrest in France

European regulators and intelligence services are examining whether foreign states, particularly Russia, sought to inflame unrest in France and elsewhere in Europe, RBC-Ukraine reported on October 21, citing the Financial Times. It described the French inquiry as being at an early stage and reported no concrete evidence that foreign states had organised the unrest or substantially influenced its course.

Sciences Po disinformation researcher David Colon said Kremlin-linked influencers had spread false claims, according to RBC-Ukraine's account of the FT report. He also said pro-Russian activists had neither initiated the demonstrations nor determined their course. European intelligence officials pointed to possible domestic causes, including dissatisfaction with state institutions and political radicalisation.

OBESSU, a European umbrella organisation for school student unions, told LIGA.net that the protests probably arose independently in response to similar social problems. It said it had received no information about attempts by outside actors to influence or exploit them. Separately, Marta Turnbull of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats told LIGA.net that Russian state media and influence networks could exploit the protests to promote narratives of European division and instability.

President Emmanuel Macron said he saw no obvious foreign interference, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing BFMTV. He criticised foreign leaders' comments and the circulation of AI-generated images depicting scenes he said had never occurred in France. Macron also announced a meeting with intelligence officials, the prime minister and relevant ministers for October 22 to receive a detailed report on the October 17 demonstrations.