On April 16, 2024, the French governmental agency Viginum, which is tasked with monitoring foreign information manipulation attempts, made public that Rafaël Glucksmann, Socialist Party candidate for the June 2024 European parliamentary elections, was targeted by a mass disinformation campaign on social media. According to the agency, accounts linked to the PRC disseminated accusations that Glucksman was a trojan horse for the CIA in Europe, a rumor that had previously circulated in French far-right and -left circles. The PRC had issued sanctions against Glucksmann in 2021 for his vocal and repeated criticism of the PRC’s treatment towards Uyghurs. Following this incident, Viginum issued a warning to all political parties running in the June 2024 European elections.
PRC behind campaign denigrating European elections candidate