French election contender Macron the target of a Russian ‘fake news’ campaign, says party chief
Paris — French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron is a "fake news" target of Russian media and his campaign is facing thousands of cyber attacks, his party chief said on Monday. Richard Ferrand, secretary-general of Macron’s En Marche! (Onwards!) party, said Russian state-controlled media Russia Today and Sputnik had spread false reports with the aim of swinging public opinion against Macron. An independent centrist, Macron has surged in campaigning for the French election and opinion polls make him favourite to win election in May. Ferrand said that Macron, as a staunch pro-European, was a Russian target because he wanted a strong united Europe that had a major role to play in world affairs, including in the face of Moscow. Sputnik earlier this month ran an interview with a conservative French legislator accusing Macron, a former investment banker, of being an agent of "the big American banking system", a report that was in turn picked up by Russia Today. "Two big media outlets...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.