Raphaël Glucksmann, head of the PS-Place Publique list in the European elections, was warned of a disinformation campaign targeting him on social networks. But what is it about? Where does this false information come from? 20 minutes takes stock for you.
What false information is circulating?
According to a security source, Raphaël Glucksmann is accused of “being the Trojan horse of the Americans – particularly of the CIA in Europe”. The rumor linking him to the CIA has been circulating for many years but has resurfaced with greater insistence on social networks in recent weeks, relayed to the far right as well as by representatives of the radical left.
It dates back to the time when Raphaël Glucksmann was the advisor to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, from the blitzkrieg between this small Caucasian country and Russia in 2008, until the electoral defeat of 2012.
The MEP was also married to the former Georgian Deputy Minister of the Interior, Eka Zgouladze. A relationship which also earns him its share of “fake news relayed by the RN” even in the hemicycle of the European Parliament, deplores those around him, while he chairs the special committee on foreign interference in all democratic processes of the European Union.
Where does this fake news come from?
The “informational maneuvers” come from “pro-Chinese actors” and “pro-Chinese accounts,” assures a security source. “The Chinese regime has already officially sanctioned me and the Russian regime has already multiplied fake news and threats against me, it is not these pathetic slanders that will make us deviate from our path: the fierce defense of our democracy and Europe,” reacted the person concerned on X.
Raphaël Glucksmann, who benefits from favorable polls less than two months before the election, is in Beijing’s crosshairs for his commitment to the Uyghur Muslim minority. He was sanctioned for this in 2021 by China, which notably banned him from traveling on its soil.
Who noticed these actions?
The MEP was warned of this campaign by the government body Viginum, responsible for tracking disinformation during election periods. The General Secretariat of Defense and National Security (SGDSN), an organization attached to Matignon and on which Viginum depends, had recently warned against attempts at foreign interference in the June 9 election. For now, this disinformation campaign is the only one to have been publicly exposed.