An internal European Union assessment, seen by Reuters, stated that a secret Russian network sought to exploit the riots that broke out in France last month by using social media to blame the unrest on uncontrolled immigration, and to portray the government as having lost control.
A separate internal assessment, prepared by the French Foreign Ministry and also seen by Reuters, said that social media accounts linked to Israel and the “Make America Great Again” movement also promoted “hostile narratives” about the riots, linking them to extremists and immigration.
European disinformation specialists said in their analysis that the two assessments combined provide insight into how external actors are trying to exploit internal turmoil in France to achieve their own political goals.
The EU analysis stated that a secret Russian network known as “Operation Overload” published videos impersonating Western media to target the French people, some of which falsely claimed that migrants had raped demonstrators or that terrorist attacks were about to occur.
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. In August, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rejected accusations by a French government oversight agency of spreading misleading information about the 2027 French elections, and said that it “will not be the last trick used by the authorities to manipulate public opinion.”
Riots broke out in various French cities last month after losing control over demonstrations that took place in protest against the high costs of living and the deterioration of public services, in one of the worst waves of violence that the country has witnessed in decades.
The European Union concluded in its analysis, which covers the period from October 7 to 21, that Russia sought to “portray the French leadership as weak and of an increasingly authoritarian nature.”
The European document, which was prepared by anti-disinformation experts in the EU’s diplomatic department and has restrictions on its circulation, stated that “such events provide opportunities to undermine national governments, incite fear and division, and shape perceptions of public opinion before elections.”
The experts found no evidence that Moscow or other actors incited the protests or caused their escalation, and described these activities as “opportunistic exploitation of the unrest.”
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded in its assessment that the ten most viewed posts on the “X” platform about the unrest, which were issued by pro-Russian circles, received 2.8 million views in the period from October 16 to 18.
But these numbers seem small compared to the number of views achieved by posts on “X” about the riots from accounts linked to the “Make America Great Again” movement and Israeli officials and influencers.
The French Ministry’s report indicated that the ten most viewed posts on the “X” platform about the unrest in France, published by officials, media outlets, and influential figures linked to the American movement, received more than 49 million views in the period from October 16 to 18.
The French report stated that the ten most viewed posts, issued by Israeli officials, government accounts, media outlets, and influencers, received more than 35 million views in the same period.
Such campaigns launch a “competition over narrative” that could, over time, shape the way Western democracies are viewed in Europe and beyond, said Elena Treasure, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, a research institution.
She added that these campaigns fuel an anti-migrant reaction and push European voters towards political extremism.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the accusations contained in either the French report or the European Union report.
When Reuters asked French officials to comment, they referred to the comments of President Emmanuel Macron, who said on October 21 that there was no clear foreign interference behind the protests, but that there was “foreign manipulation of information.”
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday that the world is entering a “new era” in which extreme weather events have become the norm, calling on leaders gathered at the COP31 climate conference in Turkey to “deal seriously” with this situation.
“We have entered a new era of extreme weather events,” Guterres said in a statement. “The extremely powerful El Niño phenomenon is occurring while the planet is suffering from excessive temperature increases as a result of human-caused climate change.”
He urged the leaders participating in the conference to “show seriousness by accelerating the reduction of emissions, accelerating the achievement of a just transition away from fossil fuels, and providing the necessary financing and protection to the countries most vulnerable to climate change,” according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
Representatives of about 200 countries are meeting in Turkey, within the framework of the annual United Nations climate conference, amid increasing pressure on countries to take action after a year that witnessed disasters resulting from extreme weather events, but a disagreement emerged, from the beginning, between negotiators from rich and developing countries regarding financing issues.
The opening of the COP31 conference, held in the Turkish city of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast, was delayed for an hour without any explanation being given, while the negotiators engaged in discussions, which continued until late yesterday, Sunday, about the demands of developing countries to include items related to financing in the official agenda. The head of the Greenpeace delegation to the conference, Jasper Inventor, said: “It was a difficult start to the COP31 conference.”
Under the United Nations climate agreements, developed countries, which historically bear the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions, have provided financial support to help developing countries adapt to the repercussions of climate change and shift toward cleaner energy. However, the poorest countries believe that these amounts are still insufficient.
Inventor stated that developed countries are taking a “hard stance” regarding the inclusion of a platform that was agreed upon during the “COP30” conference in Brazil, last year, which aims to discuss mechanisms for rich countries to provide financing to developing countries.
African countries are seeking to include an item on the agenda of the COP31 conference to discuss increasing funding for adaptation efforts by three times. With the aim of helping the poorest countries cover the costs of measures such as building sea barriers or growing drought-resistant crops.
A senior European Union official warned last week that there would be “no political will” to make additional funding pledges during the COP31 conference.
A year of disaster
Observers do not expect major breakthroughs to be achieved, at a time when countries around the world are making efforts to contain the repercussions of the oil price crisis, in light of geopolitical tensions fueled by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
In parallel, the climate crisis continues to cause enormous damage this year, as severe heat waves swept Europe, forest fires broke out in Indonesia, and an avalanche caused devastating floods in Nepal.
The El Niño climate phenomenon is expected to reach its peak this year, increasing the severity of extreme weather events, and may contribute to making 2026 or 2027 the hottest year on record.
The outlook is bleak. The United Nations warned last September that global temperatures could exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the threshold set by the Paris Climate Agreement.
Rachel Cletus, director of the climate program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said: “World leaders must rescue us from the brink of the abyss, commit to a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, and expand the use of renewable energy, a necessity that is becoming increasingly urgent in light of the current energy cost crisis.”
“Clean” electricity
Türkiye chairs the COP31 conference, while Australia leads the negotiations, under an exceptional arrangement established to end a dispute over the host country for the conference.
The two partners named this summit “Implementation Cup,” with a focus on transforming commitments into concrete actions, after years of ambitious pledges and declarations.
In parallel with the official negotiations, Türkiye is putting forward an “action agenda” aimed at encouraging countries to support non-binding pledges on various issues, from artificial intelligence to waste management.
This effort revolves around an electricity initiative that aims to raise the share of electricity in meeting global energy demand from about 20 percent currently to 35 percent by 2035. However, this initiative may constitute a source of tension, according to the Agence France-Presse report.
The European Union has called for the adoption of “clean” electricity, a term that may raise controversy about the role of fossil fuels in the Turkish proposal.
In a historic agreement, during the COP28 conference in Dubai in 2023, countries committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels, but they faced difficulties in agreeing on how to turn this pledge into reality.
The COP30 conference concluded with an agreement that did not explicitly refer to fossil fuels, after oil-producing countries opposed the inclusion of such language.
Instead, Brazil has presented a voluntary “road map” with proposals to phase out fossil fuels, which each country can adapt to its own circumstances.
Climate diplomacy still lacks a major actor, after the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump, and did not send any officials to attend the COP31 conference.
However, a delegation from the US Congress is scheduled to arrive in Antalya, amid optimism among Democrats following their historic victory in the midterm elections in the United States last week.
