French Authorities Probe Israeli Firm BlackCore Over Smear Campaign Targeting Left-Wing Candidates in Municipal Elections
Paris prosecutors have opened a formal investigation into whether an Israeli company called BlackCore ran a coordinated disinformation campaign against three left-wing candidates from the France Unbowed party during France’s March 2026 municipal elections, using fabricated sexual assault allegations, fake websites, and deceptive advertising placed during legally mandated campaign silences. The probe, confirmed by prosecutors last week, follows an initial alert by Viginum — a digital interference detection service within the French prime minister’s office — and a joint investigation by Liberation and Haaretz newspapers that traced digital tools linked to the operation to a server that had hosted a subdomain of the “blackcore.online” website.
On a website that has since disappeared, BlackCore described itself as “an elite influence, cyber and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare,” providing governments and political campaigns with “cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools and robust security to shape narratives.” pressreader
The operation targeted Marseille mayoral candidate Sebastien Delogu, Toulouse contender Francois Piquemal, and their Roubaix counterpart David Guiraud, and included deceptive websites and social media accounts alleging criminal behaviour, including sexual assault, as well as disparaging digital ads. pressreader
Digital traces led to two Tel Aviv-based technology companies, Galacticos and SNI Digital, whose executives deny any connection to BlackCore. pressreader
The Toulouse case provides the most detailed account of how the operation functioned on the ground. Piquemal, a France Unbowed member of the National Assembly who stood as the party’s mayoral candidate in Toulouse, told Middle East Eye that sensitive personal data was leaked in the run-up to the first round of voting. “Several days later, Viginum and French media outlets Le Canard Enchaine and Le Monde published investigations saying that there was foreign interference linked to Elnet, a pro-Israeli influence agency,” Piquemal said. pressreader
A day before the second round of elections, advertisements defaming Piquemal’s campaign appeared during the so-called electoral silence period in which candidates are barred from speaking publicly. The fake advertisements circulated on several websites, including the second-hand clothing sales app Vinted and the website of the regional media outlet La Depeche du Midi, and depicted a woman wearing a burka saying “I choose Piquemal (and I keep my top on)” — an apparent attempt to link his campaign to Islamist sentiment and exploit France’s ongoing political debates over secularism. pressreader
“We still don’t know who paid for those ads. I filed a complaint, but the investigation still hasn’t identified who was behind them,” Piquemal told Middle East Eye. pressreader
In Marseille, the approach was different but equally fabricated. Flyers and QR codes leading to a website titled “Sophie’s Blog” were put up across the city weeks before the elections. In it, an unidentified individual, “Sophie”, accused LFI MP and mayoral candidate Delogu of sexual violence. Investigations by Le Monde and other news outlets revealed that the profile was riddled with inconsistencies and signs of manipulation. On Facebook, its posts generated many comments and “likes”, but all turned out to be from automated fake accounts, many based in Asia. pressreader
Delogu’s lawyer, Yones Taguelmint, filed a defamation complaint on behalf of his client before the press coverage of BlackCore prompted a second, broader complaint. “Significant human and material resources were deployed, even though this was only a municipal election campaign. This is an unprecedented situation,” Taguelmint told Middle East Eye. pressreader
The March election saw incumbent Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc win a third consecutive term with 53.87 percent of the vote, defeating Piquemal who secured 46.13 percent. The relatively narrow margin of 13,227 votes, coupled with evidence of foreign election interference, prompted Piquemal to call for the result to be annulled. pressreader
Piquemal fears the operation will set a precedent. “Other countries might think: ‘In Toulouse this worked pretty well. They successfully targeted the candidate and there weren’t many consequences. Journalists seem to investigate more than authorities. Why wouldn’t we intervene too?’ This is a democratic sovereignty issue that goes beyond us,” he said. pressreader
Regional and Global Impact
The case has opened a wider debate about France’s readiness for the 2027 presidential election, where the stakes and the budgets of any external interference campaign would be substantially larger. Gerard Grizbec, research associate at the Paris-based Institute for International and Strategic Affairs, said of the municipal campaign: “We asked ourselves whether this was effectively a dress rehearsal for disinformation campaigns ahead of the presidential election.” pressreader
Grizbec noted that his observatory’s existing warnings about election interference had been focused entirely on Russia. “We were not at all focused on Israel. Not at all,” he said. “Is it the Israeli state itself? Is it part of the Israeli state? Do you even need a government to carry out something like this?” pressreader
Manon Aubry, a France Unbowed member of the European Parliament, told Middle East Eye: “I fear that the interference is not taken seriously because La France Insoumise is the direct victim, which makes others very happy about it. I take this to be an attack on our democracy. It is our democracy that is at stake because if tomorrow LFI cannot run anymore because they know they will be dismissed by such a campaign, are we still living in a democracy?” pressreader
The political dimension of the interference tracks directly with France’s foreign policy positions. France recognised the state of Palestine last year and remains committed to the 1967 UN resolutions calling for Israeli withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories. All three targeted candidates held publicly stated pro-Palestinian positions. Grizbec believes part of the aim of the interference was “to make LFI pay for being outspoken about Gaza” and to penalise France for its criticism of Israel. “Israel and France have a very, very bad relationship, and I think Israel has absolutely no hesitation about targeting LFI and more generally, the French state itself,” he said. pressreader
Background
The operation’s broad outlines were first exposed by newspaper Le Monde in March, when Viginum revealed a “foreign digital interference” scheme with “limited” reach targeting a “French political party” and its candidates in Marseille, Toulouse and Roubaix. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez publicly committed to publishing the Viginum probe after allegations were made by investigative journal Le Canard Enchaine that its report had been “redacted and shelved” and that “neither the intelligence services nor the judiciary” were seeking to identify the perpetrators. Viginum was established in 2021 specifically to detect and document foreign digital interference in French political and electoral processes. The France Unbowed party has also previously alleged interference by the United Arab Emirates, with party leader Jean-Luc Melenchon publicly stating the party had become a UAE target — a pattern that, if substantiated, would suggest a broader effort by foreign actors to weaken the French left ahead of the 2027 presidential cycle. pressreaderpressreader
What Happens Next
Taguelmint said he hopes that “the foreign entity will also be prosecuted and convicted” and stressed that “there are individuals physically present on French territory who acted.” The Paris prosecutors’ investigation is at an early stage, and no suspects have been formally named or charged. Aubry called for the creation of an independent institution capable of spotting and blocking foreign interference in real time. “As of now, we do not have an independent institution which is able to do this. This is the biggest urgency for now,” she said. The Interior Ministry has not confirmed a timeline for publishing the Viginum report, and questions remain about whether it will be released in full or in redacted form. Piquemal’s call for the Toulouse result to be annulled has not been formally accepted by any electoral authority. No Israeli government official has commented publicly on the BlackCore allegations. pressreaderpressreader
