France is intensifying its counter-offensive against what it calls misinformation. Earlier this month, Paris prosecutors confirmed they have opened a criminal investigation into Elon Musk and X. Musk had ignored a summons to appear for a voluntary interview on April 20. The French state requested Musk assist in an investigation into algorithmic manipulation and the spread of AI deepfakes on X. Musk responded to the criminal investigation by labeling the prosecutors “faker than a chocolate euro and queerer than a pink flamingo in a neon tutu!”

On the same day, Paris unveiled its “French Response” strategy. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, posted a video on X (where else?) in which he rallied the Republic’s diplomatic corps to join battle in the “information war.” It is a war, he says, that will be won by “panache,” “imagination” and the linguistic skills of French to combat the lies spread by the malignant and the mischievous.

Paris is no longer an open city. Jews are increasingly afraid to venture out, women are also fearful

Paris is no longer an open city. Jews are increasingly afraid to venture out, women are also fearful

To illustrate the point, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted an image on its Instagram account. It contrasted two views of the Eiffel Tower. In one, a young man admires France’s most famous landmark towering over a bustling Parisian street on a glorious summer’s day. In the second, the same young man is wearing a MAGA cap, and has just put on a pair of glasses. This time he sees the Eiffel Tower set against a stormy sky and the street is battle-scarred with a demoralized man slumped........

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