A secret network linked to Russia has been accused of running a disinformation campaign surrounding riots in France last month. Through social media, the network tried to blame uncontrolled immigration for the violence and make the French government look weak. To this end, fake videos and news stories imitating western media organizations were broadcast. This has been revealed in an internal report of the European Union.
According to a Reuters report, the European Union report said that a Russian network called ‘Operation Overload’ was taking advantage of the riots in France to spread fear and disillusionment among the people. The network aired videos that appeared to be news reports from Western media organizations. It was claimed that the migrants had raped the protesters and that there were terrorist attacks in the country. However, these claims were false.
The EU report is based on activities between 7 and 21 October. He says Russia’s intention was to show the French leadership as weak and increasingly authoritarian. According to the report, such developments provide an opportunity for foreign powers to tarnish the image of national governments, increase fear and division among people, and influence public opinion ahead of elections.
There is no evidence of rioting
The report also clarified that there was no evidence that Russia or any other external forces in France started the protests or encouraged the violence. Experts termed this activity as an opportunistic use of the ongoing unrest. That is, Russia is not accused of inciting the riots, but of taking advantage of social media to spread disinformation after the riots.
Operation Overload Network is active from 2023
According to the EU report, ‘Operation Overload’ is active from September 2023. The network targets prominent personalities, organizations and media organizations from Western countries. Its aim is to reduce the credibility of these institutions and create an environment against Western support for Ukraine. Through this, the narrative is also spread that European governments are prioritizing Ukraine rather than their domestic issues.
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a Britain-based think tank, also described the network in its report last year as a massive and persistently active information campaign about Russia. According to the think tank, the network mimics the voices of experts with the help of AI, creates fake newspaper headlines and tampers with photographs. After this, he takes advantage of ongoing crises and disputes in different countries and spreads mistrust and confusion among people.
