- French intelligence and police sources, alongside academic experts, have claimed that foreign powers including Iran, Russia and Algeria actively exploited recent widespread riots in France to destabilise the country and weaken Western democracies.
- Peaceful demonstrations over education and the cost of living on 17 October descended into severe violence, looting, and vandalism across French towns and cities after online mobilisation was reportedly amplified by foreign-backed agitators.
- French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot previously warned that hostile narratives from Russia, China, Iran, and the MAGA movement are attempting to polarise public debate and undermine French democracy ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
- Intelligence experts suggest foreign secret services meddled with hard-left groups and potentially funded local youths to exacerbate chaos on the streets, describing the weekend's unrest as an instrumentalised success for totalitarian regimes.
- Tehran has denied the allegations of spreading disinformation, counter-accusing France of human rights violations, while Italian defence minister Guido Crosetto similarly warned that recent unrest in Milan was part of a hybrid war being waged against the West.
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