“His legal team alleges that fake websites and social media accounts spread disinformation designed to discredit the candidate.”

“They say they were alerted to suspected interference by France's elections coordination and protection network, which includes the foreign digital interference watchdog VIGINUM.”

“According to the report, fake websites and social media accounts circulated false claims about him, including unfounded allegations of paedophilia posted on Facebook.”

“VIGINUM said the campaign's overall reach appeared limited based on low engagement figures, but acknowledged that measuring its true impact was difficult.”

“Fake campaign advertisements, purporting to support France Unbowed, appeared across a range of online platforms — including online marketplace Vinted, mobile game Candy Crush, sports betting websites, and alongside content from regional newspaper La Dépêche du Midi.”

“The fake advertisements featured the candidate's campaign slogan and logos linked to activist groups, but also contained racist messaging.”

“François Piquemal's campaign manager, Inès Djelida, said the team was made aware of the adverts after people began sending them screenshots. She said they appeared to have circulated online for around four hours.”