France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has accused Elon Musk of using his social media platform, X, to orchestrate “massive online harassment campaigns” against European leaders. Barrot stated that these campaigns aim to influence debates by exploiting the virality of the platform.
Speaking at an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development conference on Tuesday, Mr Barrot also addressed broader foreign efforts to destabilise France ahead of its 2027 presidential election. He noted that forces seeking to undermine democracy now dominate the information landscape, employing tactics to polarise public debate.
Mr Barrot cited the 2027 presidential election in France, where Marine Le Pen is the frontrunner in polls, as a target for such destabilisation efforts. He also mentioned that protests in France in recent weeks have been exploited by “hostile narratives” from Russia, China, Iran, and those associated with the Maga movement in the US.
The French minister's comments follow remarks by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who recently stated it was “clear” that Russia had interfered in the Brexit referendum.