France investigates the involvement of Russians and Wagner PMC in inciting anti-Semitic sentiment in the country

In France, the number of anti-Semitic acts has recently increased dramatically, and more than 200 painted Stars of David have been found on buildings. According to preliminary data from local prosecutors, the graffiti could have been ordered by a Russian from abroad, and the images were distributed on social media by accounts controlled by the Wagner PMC.

Source. The Wall Street Journal reports.

French prosecutors said on Tuesday that police detained a man and a woman, both natives of Moldova, who were spotted in late October spray painting a blue Star of David on a Parisian building. On their phone, they found correspondence in Russian, in which they were given the task of painting the star for a fee.

The customer of the graffiti is probably abroad, according to prosecutors. Examination of the correspondence on the detainees' phones led to another couple who also contacted him and this week painted similar stars in Paris and the capital's suburbs.

The second couple has already left the country, but they were accompanied by another person who took photos.

Over the past month, France and other European countries have seen incidents of anti-Semitism, with the six-pointed star appearing on Jewish homes or shops.

At the same time, images with blue graffiti began to be distributed by numerous bots believed to be controlled by the Wagner PMC, a French official told The Wall Street Journal. According to him, they first appeared on the Russian Twitter account X. Almost immediately, thousands of reposts were made, "it was completely artificial" activity, the official said. It was especially high on X, although the images began to spread on other social networks as well.

Of the major media platforms, X is the largest source of disinformation, and Russia is particularly active there, according to a September report by the European Commission.

Over the past month, the French authorities have registered 1,100 acts of anti-Semitism and detained 502 people, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Sunday. The leaders of both houses of the French parliament called for a march against anti-Semitism in Paris on Sunday.

Background. Earlier it was reported that a "man from Russia" was involved in the appearance of the Stars of David on buildings in Paris.