Amid the first and the second rounds of France's legislative elections, misleading claims began to circulate on social media. After a far-right anti-immigration party called “National Rally'' won in the first round of France's snap election held on July 1, and a left-wing alliance won the most seats in the second round of the French legislative elections, tensions have been mounting in France over immigration. Following these political developments, a surge of misinformation on social media has sparked, with users sharing photos and videos falsely claiming that recent reports published by the government show that 60% of rapes and sexual crimes against women in France are committed by foreign nationals.
Misinformation Targets Immigrants During the French Elections
On July 3, a post by the user Kiaus Arminius on the X platform claimed that the rates of sexual violence against women are on the rise as more migrants arrive in Western countries. The post includes short videos of French young girls speaking about the sexual harassment they have faced from North African and non-European foreigners. The claim added that recent reports published by the government show 60% of rapes in France are done by non-French men.
The video contains a customized watermark indicating the right-wing feminist organization in France and Switzerland “Collectif Nemesis.”
Another post on the Facebook platform shared the same claim on July 4.
However, official French statistics do not support the claim. Misbar’s team found data released by the French government disputing this claim. Recent crime statistics in France show that the majority of alleged rapes are committed by French men.
French Security Services Say 86 Percent of 2023 Sexual Violence Was Committed by French Nationals
On March 7, 2024, the French Interior Ministry published a report on the number of sexual violence cases committed outside the family that were recorded by the French security services in 2022/2023. The security services recorded nearly 84,000 victims of sexual violence outside the family in 2023, which marked a smaller annual increase in 2023 than in previous years. The report stated that women are the vast majority of victims of this type of violence (85%), unlike the accused who are almost exclusively men (96%).
Security services data in France shows that 16,672 people were accused of rape in 2023. Of these people, 86 percent were French nationals, not foreigners as claimed.
The statistics in the table were broken down by the type of crime including, physical sexual violence, sexual abuse, child pornography and corruption of minors. “Viol” is the French term for “rape” which shows that 87% of which were French.
Anti-Immigrant Misinformation Flooded the French Elections
Two weeks before the European elections, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal debated live with the far-right leader Jordan Bardella. The debate crystallized the radically opposing views of both parties. During this exchange, the two political personalities clashed on several themes: economy, ecological transition, energy, agriculture, immigration and international relations. One of the most heated exchanges focused on immigration
Immigration was one of the key subjects, as it remains one of the top concerns for French people. France's anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party wants to close the free movement of non-Europeans around the Schengen area, citing a “security problem” in Europe.
The far-right leader Jordan Bardella claimed that “77% of rapes and sexual assaults committed in Paris are committed by foreigners" and added, "These are the figures from your ministry."
Similarly, social media users and media outlets circulated the same claim.
Misbar’s investigative team found the claim to be misleading. The viral claim is based on an article from the Paris police headquarters on rapes committed on the streets of Paris published on April 18 on Europe 1. 97 rape cases were committed in 2023 on the streets of the French capital, 30 have been solved. Of the 36 people arrested, 28 are foreign nationals, which is equivalent to 77% of those accused. However, rapes committed on the streets are often committed by homeless people, categories in which foreigners are overrepresented.
According to a report by the French national television broadcaster radio network France Info, street rapes represent only a small minority of all rapes committed in Paris, as in the rest of France. The French radio network stated that these figures cannot be extrapolated. At the national French level, foreigners represent 13% of those accused of rape, according to the latest report from the statistical service of the Ministry of the Interior on sexual violence outside the family.
Between 2016 and 2021, the police recorded every year more complaints of rape against women in France. In 2021, more than 30,700 cases were recorded, of which nearly half were against minor women.
French European Parliament Member Refutes the far right claim regarding the rates of immigrants committing rapes.
During a live debate on the French news channel BFMTV on May 27, the French European Parliament member Manon Aubry reacted to the comments of the Republican candidate, François-Xavier Bellamy. She criticized him for maintaining the "myth of the foreign rapist," which she considers "unfounded and unbearable."
To this, the French European Parliament member responded on her X platform account on May 28, that 86% of rapes are committed by French people. At the same time, she added that the vast majority of victims know their attacker, insisting on the fact that in "45% of cases, it was their spouse or ex-spouse.”
Misbar's team found that Manon Aubry's statement on the X platform, relied on a survey conducted by the Interministerial Mission for the Protection of Women against Violence and the Fight against Human Trafficking (Miprof) and by the "Living Environment and Security" surveys (conducted by INSEE and SSMSI). They highlight the fact that in cases of rape or attempted rape, "9 out of 10 victims" know their attacker. Miprof goes further and adds that "in 45% of situations, the attacker is the victim's spouse or ex-spouse." In addition to the Ministerial Statistical Service for Internal Security states that only 13% of foreigners are accused of rape committed outside the family.
According to the official French publications 86% of all physical violence committed against women in 2022/23 outside of the family context (of which only 87% are rapes), was committed by French men.
U.N. Rights Chief Warns About Rise of Far-Right in Europe
On July 3, The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called for vigilance in the face of far-right political gains in Europe, citing narratives that dehumanize migrants and other minorities.
Volker Turk warned of rising populism, hate speech and scapegoating as a record number of countries are holding elections this year.
"I'm always worried when I hear narratives that denigrate the other, that dehumanize the other, that make scapegoats of migrants or refugees or asylum seekers or minority groups," he said.
"We need to be very vigilant, because especially history tells us, in particular in Europe, that the vilification of the other, that the denigration of the other is a harbinger for worse to come."
Turk insisted that those in power should make it very clear: "There should be zero tolerance for all hate speech."
He urged voters to study the programs of political parties to ensure they respect human rights, "and that means the human rights of everyone."
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