France’s foreign minister has accused billionaire Elon Musk of running “online harassment” campaigns against European leaders in an attempt to influence national debates.
Jean-Noel Barrot made the accusation on Tuesday during a conference in Paris, where he warned about foreign interference ahead of France’s presidential election in April and May 2027.
The minister said enemies of democracy will try to destabilise France before the vote, where far-right candidate Marine Le Pen has her strongest chance yet of winning the Elysee Palace.
“They exploit our divisions and exploit issues such as immigration, secularism, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to stoke hatred and tension,” Barrot told the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development conference.
He pointed to an unnamed Israeli company that created fake French social media accounts to post about the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
But Barrot reserved particular criticism for Musk, the owner of X, saying the tech billionaire runs “massive online harassment campaigns” against European leaders.
“These campaigns aim to influence national debates by exploiting the viral nature of his social network,” the minister said.
France has faced weeks of protests by high school students over their conditions. Barrot said some online coverage of these demonstrations featured “hostile narratives originating from Russia and China, as well as Iran and the MAGA community” – referring to supporters of US President Donald Trump.
Trump wrote on Truth Social last week that “what’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration.”
Musk then shared his view with his 241,5 million X followers, saying: “It’s an invasion in slow motion, but an invasion nonetheless. And those who support the invasion are traitors who deserve the fate of all traitors.”
Barrot said France will respond to such interference.
“We do not tolerate any foreign interference, from wherever it may come. It is a matter of sovereignty,” he said.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that Russia “clearly” interfered in the UK’s 2016 Brexit referendum.
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