France to Probe Possible Russian Influence on Yellow Vest Riots
- Security services to look into social media, minister says
- Russian-linked sites increase targeting of French protests
A demonstrator kicks a smoke grenade shot by riot police during a demonstration by high school students in Lyon, on Dec. 7.
Photographer: Jean-Philippe Ksiazek/AFP via Getty Images
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France opened a probe into possible Russian interference behind the country’s Yellow Vest protests, after reports that social-media accounts linked to Moscow have increasingly targeted the movement.
According to the Alliance for Securing Democracy, about 600 Twitter accounts known to promote Kremlin views have begun focusing on France, boosting their use of the hashtag #giletsjaunes, the French name for the Yellow Vest movement. French security services are looking at the situation, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday in a radio interview with RTL.