According to a report from Viginum, the organization fighting foreign digital interference, investigations began on July 26 when “several visuals calling for a boycott of the Olympic Games-24” massively shared on X (formerly Twitter), were detected.
The investigation was carried out in a context of diplomatic tensions between Paris and Baku. France has, in fact, shown its support for Armenia which fears a violation of its territorial integrity by Azerbaijan, a position which has earned it harsh criticism from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev. “Featuring images of riots or the city of Paris, these publications also included on each content the logo of the Olympic Games, three official X accounts of the JOP-24 and two hashtags #PARIS2024 and #BOYCOTTPARIS2024,” explains Viginum in his report.
Some 91 accounts appear to be behind these publications
On July 26 and 27, more than 1,600 publications accompanied by these visuals or hashtags were published on the platform. Some 91 accounts appear to be at the origin of these publications “suggesting artificial amplification”, according to Viginum, an organization dependent on the Prime Minister. Additional investigations also made it possible to identify an account behind the publication of content targeting the holding of the Olympic Games on X.
In addition, a video hostile to the holding of the Olympic Games drawing a parallel between scenes of riots and sports competitions was published on July 27 by the X account @NewYorkInsider, a fake news media. This 39-second video has been viewed millions of times, said Viginum, who clearly sees in it a desire to damage the image of France.
Viginum concluded that the Olimpiya campaign, Olympic Games in Azeri, “is likely to harm the fundamental interests of the Nation”. And he expects other potential campaigns targeting the Olympics.
