Circumstances have been detected indicating that hostile nations such as Iran and Russia may have intervened behind the recent weeks of unrest in France.

According to the British daily The Times, while the protests initially began with students protesting against educational inequality, Iran, Russia, and Algeria attempted to fuel the societal divisions in France that surfaced during the demonstrations.

Local experts analyzed that foreign actors used social media and influencers to incite mobilization for the protests, intensively spreading posts related to police brutality and racial discrimination.

In particular, allegations were raised that Iranian operatives infiltrated hard-left groups in France to incite protests and paid young people to cause chaos on the ground, while Russia was also suspected of spreading fake news through its propaganda organizations.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot officially condemned foreign interference in the student protests, and local media reports even emerged that a report on Iran's disinformation activities was drafted, but President Emmanuel Macron blocked its publication considering Middle East geopolitics.

Meanwhile, the accused countries—including Iran, Russia, and China—flatly denied the allegations.

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