Riots erupted across France on Saturday, gripping major cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Nice. Nearly 150 people have been jailed following the violence, while more than 800 individuals were brought before the courts.
The French government admitted that police had "lost control" during the unrest. French President Emmanuel Macron accused foreign leaders of exploiting the riots for electoral purposes, specifically targeting "leaders who are in campaign mode, whether here in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed France was hit by an "invasion of extremist Islam," adding, "If we do not eliminate them here, you will have them in Paris." EU regulators are currently examining possible foreign online interference and disinformation campaigns surrounding the riots.
Iran and Algeria are suspected of being behind some of the messaging. David Colon noted that pro-Kremlin influencers linked to the Russian campaign Storm-1516 amplified the events and spread false narratives.
BBC Verify reviewed more than 15 examples of fake news videos on social media that featured branding nearly identical to real French news outlets like Le Monde, Euronews and France 24. An AI image of an elderly couple being robbed in Paris was published on 17 October by Sabrina Hania's team.
French media report that prosecutors have no information supporting the robbery incident.
