France probes disinfo campaigns targeting 2027 election candidates
Presidential contenders Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal were purportedly targeted by Russia-affiliated networks this summer.
The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into disinformation campaigns targeting two leading candidates preparing to run in France’s 2027 presidential election, according to Agence France-Presse. These candidates are Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, both former prime ministers who are heavily favored to run for the presidency. The investigation began earlier this summer after fake news reports surfaced on social media platforms, aiming to damage the candidates' campaigns.
One set of fabricated videos on the X platform, using branding from major French news outlets, claimed that Philippe, who has alopecia, had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative illness. Similarly, on X and TikTok, false reports asserted that Attal was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and was allegedly using drugs. Gabriel Attal denounced these reports as false and lodged a complaint, while Edouard Philippe chose not to comment publicly on the posts, though his allies suggested they were likely attempts at Russian interference.
The specialized French agency Viginum, tasked with monitoring foreign interference online, identified Russian-affiliated networks Storm-1516 and Matriochka as leading suspects in the disinformation campaigns aimed at Philippe. Additionally, Raphaël Glucksmann, a prominent center-left MEP and a likely presidential contender, was the subject of a comparable disinformation operation. The prosecutor’s office announced a separate probe into Glucksmann’s case earlier this month.
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