A new study released by the non-governmental organization Alliance4Europe alleges that coordinated pro-Russian networks engaged in an online influence campaign to intensify social tensions in France. According to the report, these networks targeted French social media users in the weeks preceding recent mass protests and civil unrest, which occurred over the past weekend.

Researchers at Alliance4Europe stated they reached these conclusions after examining more than 500,000 individual social media posts. The organization claims that the digital activity, which they describe as an effort to manipulate public sentiment, can be traced back to the beginning of September. The report suggests that the goal of this activity was to exacerbate existing frustrations within the French population, potentially contributing to the scale of the subsequent unrest.

While the report provides a quantitative analysis of online traffic, it focuses on the correlation between the volume of posts and the timing of the protests. The findings have been presented as evidence of foreign interference in domestic French affairs. As of now, there has been no official response from the entities accused of managing these accounts, nor has there been independent verification of the specific methodology used to attribute these posts to Russian-backed networks. The report serves as a focal point for ongoing discussions regarding the role of foreign digital influence in European domestic politics.