French intelligence chief warns of rise in foreign attacks on diasporas

France's domestic security chief, Celine Berthon, warned on Tuesday that a surge in foreign interference, particularly attacks against diasporas, poses a threat to French sovereignty. During a panel discussion in Paris, Berthon emphasized that a significant rise in such acts has occurred in recent years, notably since 2022. European officials are increasingly concerned about "hybrid attacks" that involve cyber warfare, disinformation, and infrastructure strikes.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has provided fertile ground for these attacks, but other conflicts like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have also fueled this trend.

Berthon highlighted that these attacks occur both physically and digitally, with incidents including Stars of David graffiti, red hand markings, and vandalism at places of worship. More recently, severed pig heads were placed outside mosques in Paris last year, while red hands were tagged on the Shoah Memorial in 2024. France's large Muslim and Jewish minorities are particularly vulnerable to such actions.

Berthon pointed to Russia as the primary culprit behind these incidents, citing cases such as the red hand tagging at the Shoah Memorial. She added that Iran is also implicated in attacks against Iranian critics residing in France and neighboring European countries. Tehran is suspected of involvement in bomb attacks on Israeli and Jewish interests following joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28.

France's security chief emphasized that these actions are designed to destabilize the country by undermining institutional balance, eroding independence, and dividing society through divisive issues. She warned that these tactics may involve monitoring or suppressing diaspora communities, effectively importing foreign laws onto French territory, which violates French sovereignty. Berthon stressed the need to consider the possibility of more direct, violent hostile actions occurring on French soil.