The EU elections of 2024 have been many things to many people. A distressing part of this whole affair was the disinformation, and abrasive bigotry applied to just about every social issue you can think of. It’s no surprise that immigration is at the top of the list. Every EU nation felt the meddlesome influence of Russian surrogates, acting as disinformation groups working to seed social chaos and disruption on the run up to the elections.
Ireland, like all EU states, has felt this malicious influence during the pre-election run up to June 7th. Many enquired as to the Irish voting position on social media. Unfortunately, they often encountered a flood of disinformation from professionals and amateurs alike. Their scripted approach sets a claim to be Irish, but the vast majority are not.
French intelligence send pre-election warning
French intelligence warned of the threat posed by Russian disinformation networks with links to the far-right, making Irish headlines on May 10th of this year. On June 9th, The Irish Examiner published an article about Russian disinformation networks identified by “Irish security services”. These groups had set up fake accounts to disrupt and distort the Irish electorate’s candidate choice to their favor.
Russian surrogates also launched cyberattacks to disrupt the actual election and deny citizens access to legitimate information resources. Authorities reported the effect of those cyber attacks as minimal. However, the effect of the disinformation campaigns was substantive, equating to an assault on democracy in the EU.
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Thanks to the efforts of these disinformation networks, many mobilized and angry voters; deceived by a series of well-crafted lies and innuendo, placed their vote at the ballot box across the EU. The result could have been worse. For now, the damage is a wake up call for both our EU citizenry, and our respective governments.
The flexing of this proxy-power by Russia was obvious. President Macron called a snap election in France in the wake of a French voter shift to the far-right. In Ireland, however, the voters voted out key Russian propagandists such as Clare Daly and Mick Wallace.
Russia flexes it’s disinformation muscle
The far-right thrust into Ireland, which is supported by these Russian disinformation networks, also pushed other far-right proponents like Niall Boylan. The Irish people, on this occasion, denied Mr. Boylan at the ballot box. If we do not address this threat effectively, there is no guarantee that far-right candidates will not gain power through a future wave of disinformation, lies, and bigoted innuendo.
I saw an interview with Mr. Boylan on social media. Honestly, he reminded me of Nigel Farage before the UK’s Brexit vote. This EU election is a warning about our future. It is a warning about the consequences of choosing wisely, our need to understand disinformation for what it is, and to remember who we are as a people.
For example, in the EU, our neighbor is not our enemy. While we all have social issues we want addressed, we should also remember that our governments are not our enemy, nor are our countries broken. Disinformation specialists manufacture social issues into social levers with malicious intent towards us. It has a defined outcome that will enable hostile counties like Russia to progress their subversive agenda against us all.
We have come a long way as an economic union of like-minded free peoples. As an EU community, we have common hopes, wants, and needs that we fulfill together. Let not the forked tongues of the far-right, or any other disinformation network, dissuade us from this. Together, in a healthy, internationally assertive, and open-minded EU, we, the people, have a say in our future. It’s one worth protecting; and for the sake of our children, one worth fighting for.
About the Author
John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and suspense genres. With a background as a journalist since 2016, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.
