French foreign minister accuses Musk of online harassment campaigns against European leaders

France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Tuesday accused Elon Musk, the world's richest man and owner of the social network X, of using his platform to orchestrate "massive online harassment campaigns" against European leaders. Barrot made the remarks at a conference of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), where he addressed foreign efforts to interfere in France's 2027 presidential election.

Barrot said social media has become a central arena in the global struggle over democracy. In his words, forces seeking to undermine democracy now dominate the information landscape and use tactics designed to polarise public debate. Political movements with authoritarian aims have been gaining ground in Europe and North America, he said, with the ultimate goal of seizing power and then ensuring they never relinquish it.

Examples cited by the minister

Barrot pointed to the 2027 French election, in which far-right leader Marine Le Pen is the polling frontrunner. He said democracy's enemies exploit immigration, secularism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to stoke hatred and tension. He also cited an unnamed Israeli company accused of creating fake French social media accounts to shape perceptions of the Israel-Gaza war, and accusations that Azerbaijan stirred up tensions during deadly riots in New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory.

The minister also referred to the protests that have shaken France in recent weeks, in which schoolchildren, students and trade unionists blockaded schools and marched through cities. According to Barrot, the events were exploited by "hostile narratives" from Russia, China and Iran, as well as by those linked to the Maga movement in the US. Last week Musk and US president Donald Trump commented on the protests, framing them as a question of mass migration and dismissing protesters' demands for better conditions in schools.

Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

Government response

Barrot said his government is working to counter foreign efforts, stressing that France does not tolerate any foreign interference, from wherever it comes, and calling it a matter of sovereignty. He claimed the Kremlin's goal is to end liberal democracies in favour of a new authoritarianism. His speech came days after British prime minister Andy Burnham said it was clear that Russia had interfered in the Brexit referendum.