Bots linked to the Russian Federation on social media speculated about immigration during protests in France - EU investigation.
A secret Russian network used unrest during October protests in France to blame uncontrolled immigration on social media and portray the government as out of control, according to an internal EU assessment seen by Reuters.
According to the European Union's diplomatic service, the Russian network Operation Overload (also known as the Matryoshka Network and Storm-1679) also distributed fake videos mimicking Western media, which claimed that alleged rapist migrants were protesting or planning attacks.
A separate internal assessment by the French foreign ministry said "hostile narratives" linking the unrest to radical Islamism and immigration were also promoted by accounts linked to Israel and the American MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. These posts received millions of views. However, EU experts found no evidence that this provoked or intensified the protests.