Ex-French Prime Minister Sues over Russian Interference

Former French Prime Minister and presidential candidate Gabriel Attal has filed a complaint regarding an alleged Russian disinformation campaign ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Lawyers for the candidate from Macron's centrist Renaissance party confirmed to Politico that the complaint, filed on Friday, condemns acts of foreign interference, manipulation of information and the creation of false content.

According to them, these efforts threaten the nation's fundamental interests and the integrity of the presidential election, which is scheduled for April 2027.

According to the legal representatives, several accounts on the social media platform X spread fake videos and articles. Some of these profiles posed as French or international media outlets and attributed false statements to Attal in an effort to discredit him as a candidate.

Attal himself stated earlier this week that he had been the victim of an attempt at election interference originating in Russia.

Viginum, the French government agency tasked with combating online disinformation, confirmed the discovery of an operation targeting Attal and added that it bore clear signs of pro-Russian disinformation tactics.

According to Politico, other potential candidates and prominent political figures have also been targeted by disinformation campaigns in recent weeks, specifically former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe and center-left Member of the European Parliament Raphaël Glucksmann.

(max)