Barrot: Elon Musk among those trying to interfere in France's presidential election
Jean‑Noël Barrot told an OECD conference that foreign campaigns, fake profiles and online harassment are already attempting to shape France's presidential debate.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot warned that efforts to interfere in next year’s presidential election in France are already underway, and explicitly named Elon Musk among figures influencing democratic debate across Europe. Barrot made the remarks at a conference of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as Paris prepares for the 2027 vote.
Examples and accusations
Barrot said that outside actors are exploiting domestic divisions to stir tensions. "The enemies of democracy are doing everything they can to destabilize us," he said, adding that the tactics are well documented. He pointed to the use of polarizing topics such as immigration, the secular character of the state, and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict to provoke hatred.
The minister gave concrete examples, including an Israeli company that allegedly created fake French profiles "to organise artificial clashes over the Palestinian issue," and what he described as "large online harassment campaigns by Elon Musk against European leaders, with the aim of influencing national debates using his social network," whose messages spread widely.
Barrot also referred to "insidious campaigns suggesting that the next presidential election in France will be rigged," and denounced efforts to exploit student protests in France by "hostile narratives coming from Russia and China, as well as from Iran and the MAGA community."
He cited a recent post by former U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform: "What is happening in France is nothing more than uncontrolled mass immigration. It's not about schools, it's about Islam wanting to take over a once-great country!"
Responding to such interference, Barrot said the French government is monitoring and acting against these campaigns. "We see them, we expose them and we respond to them with uncompromising firmness. We will tolerate no foreign interference, wherever it comes from. This is a matter of sovereignty," the foreign minister said.
Photo: press material from the event
