France accuses Musk of ‘online harassment’ of European leaders

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has accused billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk of engaging in online harassment of European leaders. Barrot made the allegations during a conference organized by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as he sounded the alarm over the risks of interference in France's 2027 presidential election.

The far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, according to Barrot, has a strong chance of winning the Elysee Palace in the upcoming April-May election, and enemies of democracy will do everything to destabilize France. Barrot specifically targeted Musk's viral reach on his X social media platform, which he alleged was used to target European leaders and influence national debates.

He singled out an Israeli company for creating fake French accounts to post about the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Barrot also criticized Musk for allegedly inciting hatred and tension by exploiting issues such as immigration, secularism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The French minister vowed that France would not tolerate any foreign interference and emphasized that it was a matter of sovereignty.