The "Crowd Phenomenon": Understanding How the Macron "Cocaine Use" Rumor Spread

In our digital age, the line between organized disinformation campaigns — deliberate efforts to spread false information — and organic crowd phenomena is increasingly blurred. The recent controversy surrounding French President Emmanuel Macron and allegations of cocaine use on a train to Ukraine offers a fascinating case study in how misinformation spreads in our interconnected world.

What Actually Happened

On May 9, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer traveled by train to Kyiv, Ukraine. During this trip, a video was captured by AFP and AP showing Macron subtly removing what was later confirmed to be a crumpled white tissue from a table as journalists entered the compartment.

This simple action would soon become the center of a global controversy, as high-resolution photos from Reuters and other traditional media sources showed the object was a crumpled tissue. However, that didn't stop the rapid spread of a much more sensational interpretation.

The Birth of a Rumor

AFP quickly stated that this narrative appeared to have begun, not with foreign state actors, but likely with individual French social media users. According to AFP, French authorities identified early comments on X suggesting there were "little white bags" on the table in Macron's train compartment.

By May 11, 2025, accounts were posting claims that "German advisor Merz hid a spoon used for cocaine, while French President Macron concealed a bag of it"  with another account, added to the narrative by describing a "drug spoon* (cuillère à cocaïne)" supposedly visible in the video, asking sarcastically about "A cocaine-fueled evening between friends?"

Some users even went beyond misinterpretation, with experts like UC Berkeley's Hany Farid noting that some of the images circulating had likely been digitally altered to make the tissue more closely resemble a plastic bag, potentially using AI manipulation techniques.

 What’s interesting here is that this wasn't initially a coordinated campaign but rather an opportunistic interpretation of visual evidence that aligned with pre-existing narratives. This fits into a longer pattern: since 2017, pro-Russian accounts have circulated false claims about Macron's supposed drug use, including allegations from hacked campaign emails about cocaine orders and manipulated footage showing him touching his nose. A 2023 report in Marianne had previously documented these recurring tactics.

From Individual Action to Crowd Phenomenon

"What is Macron hiding?!"

The spread of this rumor demonstrates what Justin Poncet called a "crowd phenomenon" - where several online "spheres," only loosely connected, amplify content in ways that create massive reach without central coordination.

By Sunday, the narrative had gained significant momentum through multiple channels:

1. Political Amplification: French politicians Florian Philippot and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan joined in, with Philippot posting "
   
2. Conspiracy Amplification: Alex Jones, with his 4.5 million X subscribers, helped bring the story to an international audience.
3. State-Level Amplification: Russian officials, including foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, began circulating the claims, followed by Russian news outlets like Pravda.ru.

The analysis group Antibot4Navalny, which tracks troll farms and disinformation, concluded that while Kremlin-aligned Telegram channels and media did amplify the rumor, it was "UNLIKELY" to have been a Russian disinformation campaign in origin. Rather, "the earliest viral tweets were likely first published BEFORE that, by authentic users."

Disproving the Claims

• High-resolution photos from Reuters and AFP clearly showed that the white object was a crumpled tissue, not cocaine or any drug paraphernalia.
• The French presidency (Élysée Palace) quickly took action with a distinctive approach. On May 11, they posted on X with a zoomed-in photo of the tissue captioned: "This is a tissue. For blowing your nose."
  
  

This direct, somewhat sarcastic response represented a shift in strategy from ignoring false claims to confronting them head-on. By May 12, the Élysée's rebuttal had been viewed over 384,800 times. Additionally, France's Viginum disinformation watchdog was tasked with monitoring Russia-linked accounts promoting the narrative.

A Beyond Misinformation and Disinformation

This case illustrates an important distinction in how false information spreads:

• Misinformation involves the unintentional spread of false information, where people genuinely believe what they're sharing.
• Disinformation involves deliberately created and spread false information with the intent to deceive or harm.
• Malinformation involves taking genuine information (in this case, actual footage) and presenting it out of context to cause harm.

The Macron cocaine rumor originated from authentic footage that was mischaracterized—perhaps deliberately, according to some observers. It gained traction through a dual pathway: sincere individuals who accepted and shared the false narrative, alongside strategic actors who, despite recognizing its falsity, amplified the rumor to advance their personal agendas.

In today's digital environment, a misinterpreted tissue can trigger a global reputation crisis within hours. Organizations must recognize that information security deserves the same priority as cybersecurity and other risk management domains. The most resilient institutions will be those that monitor for all types of false information—not just coordinated campaigns—and respond with speed, clarity, and credibility.

When false narratives emerge, their origins are just as important as your organization's preparation and response. By understanding how these "crowd phenomena" develop and spread, you can better protect your reputation in an increasingly complex information landscape.

Want to learn more about protecting your pharmaceutical brand from toxic information? Contact our team to discuss how advanced AI detection and mitigation strategies can help safeguard your reputation in today's complex media environment.  

About Vinesight

Vinesight has developed an AI-driven platform that monitors emerging social narratives, and identifies, analyzes, and responds to toxic attacks targeting brands, public sector institutions, and causes. We work with the entities that are at-risk for such attacks, including, the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, and the world's most prominent financial firms. Vinesight empowers brands, campaigns, and organizations to protect their narratives and brand, while ensuring that authenticity prevails in the digital space.

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