France blames Russia for a digital effort to whip up online controversy over Stars of David graffiti

PARIS (AP) — France says it has been the target of a Russian online destabilization campaign that used bots to whip up controversy and confusion about spray-painted Stars of David that appeared on Paris streets. The stenciling last month of 250 blue stars on walls in Paris and its suburbs fed alarm about surging antisemitism in France during the latest Israel-Hamas war. The stars’ appearance fueled concern on social media about the safety of France’s Jewish community. France’s Foreign Ministry pointed a finger of blame at Russia. It said a Russian network of bots created controversy about the stars with thousands of posts on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.