There is no conclusive evidence that foreign powers fuelled riots in France, Italy and other European countries through social media, although some have exploited the unrest to push their own narratives.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The European Commission has faced pressure to act against suspected disinformation campaigns by countries such as Russia, but has so far held back, citing a lack of evidence.
“There is no evidence of foreign interference in the events that took place. However, there has been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath; that much is true,” French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on the sidelines of his visit to Qatar.
“But there are many people who have sought to exploit the situation. There are people campaigning at France’s expense,” he said.
The distinction matters. Other European officials have gone further, blaming foreign powers for the unrest that has gripped cities in France, Italy, Belgium and Spain.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said at a conference on Tuesday that the riots in Milan were “the result of what I call a ‘hybrid war’ that someone is waging in our nations by resorting to unconventional tools such as TikTok, social media, YouTube”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot made a more limited claim at an OECD-hosted conference last week. “A few days ago, the high school student protests in France were themselves exploited by hostile narratives emanating from Russia, China, Iran, and the MAGA community. We see them, we denounce them, and we respond,” he said.
National regulators, including France’s Arcom and Italy’s AGCOM, have extensive powers to tackle potential disinformation operations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). They work closely with the Commission, with their most recent meeting taking place on Tuesday.
However, while regulators have urged the Commission to launch a formal investigation, the EU executive says there is insufficient evidence to justify one.
“We don’t have any information or definitive confirmation that foreign information manipulation is behind the events in France and elsewhere,” an EU official with direct knowledge of the matter told Euronews on condition of anonymity.
The disagreement highlights a gap between the accusations made publicly by some national politicians and the evidence available to the authorities.
“The situation is unfolding at national level, and the Commission is definitely ready to assist and support the national authorities,” Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. “Let the French authorities carry out their work first. We are ready to assist where we can.”
The DSA also provides for a crisis response mechanism that can be activated in the event of a serious threat to public security or public health in the EU. This would give the Commission emergency powers over online platforms.
So far, however, there has been no move to activate it.
Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities have asked online platforms to provide information to help identify those involved in vandalism and looting.
In France, looters have attempted to sell stolen goods on the second-hand marketplace Vinted, prompting police to ask the platform for help identifying those responsible.
“We are actively collaborating with law enforcement and the French authorities, and we continually adapt our processes to detect and counter emerging risks and malicious behaviour,” a Vinted spokesperson told Euronews.
There is evidence that Russia-linked disinformation networks, including those behind Operation Overload and Doppelgänger, have seized on the violence to amplify their online campaigns.
However, unlike during the Ceuta migration crisis this summer, when extensive evidence showed that thousands of people had been mobilised by false information circulated online, the protests in France, Italy and elsewhere appear, so far, to have been exploited by foreign actors rather than driven by them.
