The Department for the Protection of Fundamental Freedoms of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office has initiated its own investigation into suspicions of Russia’s interference in the presidential elections in France.
This was reported by «European Pravda» with reference to BFMTV. This summer, a series of destabilisation operations attributed to pro‑Russian networks targeted three officially announced or potential presidential candidates. False information about Edouard Philippe’s health was spread, Raphael Glucksmann was attacked via his partner Lea Salamé, and Gabriel Attal was portrayed as someone allegedly suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Although, according to a source in the security services, these operations remained largely unnoticed, they were the first to be directed specifically against presidential candidates since the start of their campaigns. «The AC2 department, which deals with the protection of fundamental freedoms, initiated an investigation into the three mentioned individuals even before complaints were received by the prosecutor’s office», the prosecutor’s office stated.
Filed complaints and government reaction
Gabriel Attal, a candidate in the 2027 presidential elections, head of the Renaissance party («Rebirth») and former prime minister, filed a complaint on August 7 regarding «foreign interference» «by Russian networks», his lawyers Sacha Ghozlan and Lucas Veil explained.
In turn, Raphael Glucksmann announced on August 12 that he had filed a complaint. «It is extremely important to say this simple thing: we cannot allow Vladimir Putin’s Russia to manipulate the 2027 elections, which are a matter of existence for the French people», the politician said during a visit to the department of Aude.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot previously warned that Paris «will not tolerate any attempts at foreign interference». Prime Minister of France Sébastien Lecornu expects that various political forces will cooperate with the government to counter foreign interference in the presidential campaign.
Source: Pravda
