US Anti-Government Groups Influencing French Far Right

QAnon, Other Conspiracy Theories Spreading To Europe: Top Intel Official

- Julian E. Barnes

Washington: Right-wing extremist groups in the US have been influencing French groups, spreading anti-government conspiracy theories in Europe, the top French intelligence official said. The official, Laurent Nunez, France’s national intelligence and counterterrorism coordinator, has been in Washington this week for meetings with US officials such as his US counterpart, Avril D Haines, director of national intelligence.

Relations between Paris and Washington have been strained after a US deal last month to sell Australia nuclear submarines, which put an end to a French contract. Nunez did not mince words, saying “the serious bilateral crisis” remained. Still, President Emmanuel Macron of France authorised Nunez’s visit as part of efforts to ease the diplomatic feud and restore high-level communications.

Cooperation among intelligence services, often stripped of politics, is usually far steadier than relations between heads of state, and that has been the case with France, according to US officials. French officials said they were continuing to work together on a wide array of counterterrorism issues in Syria, Africa and Afghanistan and threats from domestic extremist groups. “As far as the threats from the extreme right, the developments we are observing in France are quite similar to what is happening in the US,” Nunez said.