A music video mocking French politicians’ attempts to blame Russia for the violent cost-of-living protests in France has gone viral, garnering over a million views across social media platforms.
A computer-generated double of former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the ‘hero’ in this particular saga, repeatedly laments ‘Russian interference.’
In the clip, he appears as the lead singer of a fictional band named BB Burnes, a pun on the name of a popular French pop-rock group, BB Brunes. Its other members are AI versions of the country’s politicians, including Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as the guitarist and former PM Edouard Philippe as the drummer.
According to the plot, the singer is having a bad day: his milk has expired, his bus departs without him, he’s unproductive at work and he misses an important email, among other things.
This video is a viral sensation in France and across the EU, on YouTube, TikTok and X. Because we’re all sick of the constant lies from our leaders and ridiculously blaming Russia for every single problem they have themselves caused. It’s such a shame that we cannot make this number 1.
The chorus of the song goes: “Russian interference, it was Russian interference yet again,” providing a ridiculously unlikely explanation for his misfortunes.
AI models of French President Emmanuel and his wife Brigitte also appear in the clip as the audience of the fictional band’s performance, who appear to be really enjoying the show.
France has endured an ongoing wave of nationwide unrest which began in September with protests over staff shortages and deteriorating conditions at a high school near Paris. The discontent has spread across the country and even to neighboring European states, turning into wider demonstrations against rising living costs and fuel prices. Weekend rallies have attracted hundreds of thousands of participants and often turned violent, leading to thousands of arrests and hundreds of injuries.
In late October, Barrot accused Russia and other foreign countries of using the riots “to weaken us and tarnish” the image of France on the global stage.
The Financial Times reported earlier that the EU was investigating alleged interference and disinformation campaigns by pro-Russian social media accounts in order to sow chaos during the French protests.
The vice president of the French Mayoral Association, Patrick Molinoz, told Euronews in mid-October that he was “quite certain” of Moscow’s interference, without providing any proof to back his claim.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that attempts to link Russia to the unrest in France were absurd and cannot be treated seriously.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed last week that “to claim that we are provoking mass protests in major European cities is really going too far.” He argued that the riots are a result of mistakes by the European leaders and their inability to integrate the numerous migrants that arrive in their countries.
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