Presidential candidate Gabriel Attal has filed a complaint over an alleged Russian disinformation campaign ahead of the April 2027 French presidential election. Attal's lawyers informed French media that the complaint, lodged on Friday, denounces "acts of foreign interference, manipulation of information, fabrication of content likely to undermine the fundamental interests of the nation and the sincerity of the upcoming presidential election."
According to BFMTV, the lawyers stated that several social network X accounts, some impersonating French and international media, had spread fake video reports and newspaper articles. These fabricated materials attributed false statements to Attal, aiming to discredit him as a candidate.
Attal, representing President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, had previously indicated he was a victim of attempted election interference originating from Russia. He anticipates an increase in such destabilization efforts leading up to the election.
Viginum, the French agency responsible for combating online disinformation, confirmed it had detected the operation targeting Attal and noted that it displayed characteristics of pro-Russian disinformation tactics. Attal is the most recent French presidential hopeful to fall victim to these disinformation efforts, following reports of similar campaigns against former prime minister Edouard Philippe and center-left parliamentarian Raphaël Glucksmann.
