Overview

• Federal authorities report a pronounced escalation in posts spreading falsehoods and personal attacks against Chancellor Merz since his inauguration.
• False narratives have proliferated around alleged policy changes—such as a school tax, longer working hours and at-home sick-leave checks—that officials confirm never existed.
• A viral video claiming Merz and President Macron concealed cocaine was discredited by the Élysée Palace as a simple tissue and stirrer manipulated to mislead.
• Institute for Strategic Dialogue analysts warn that both Kremlin-linked actors and domestic right-wing extremist accounts are behind the coordinated campaigns to stoke social divisions.
• Spokespersons have condemned the deluge of false content as an assault on public trust and pledged continued investigations despite uncertainty over the exact perpetrators.