Idea Of Russian Meddling In French 'Yellow Vests' Belongs To Conspiracy Theories - Le Pen

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French National Rally (RN) party, said Wednesday that the idea that there is a Russian trace in the "Yellow Vests" protests in France is part of one of "conspiracy theories" that exist in some media.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2018) Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French National Rally (RN) party, said Wednesday that the idea that there is a Russian trace in the "Yellow Vests" protests in France is part of one of "conspiracy theories" that exist in some media.

Last week, a leaked screenshot showed a BBC reporter searching for proof of Moscow's alleged masterminding of the ongoing French rallies. The broadcaster confirmed that its correspondent was looking for this evidence.

"Conspiracy theories have existed in France throughout its history. Some of them exist in the media. There are journalists that tell us that Russia or even [former White House Chief Strategist] Steve Bannon is behind 'Yellow Vests'," Le Pen told the RTL broadcaster, when asked about the rumors that the Strasbourg shooting could be staged by Paris to divert attention from the protests.

Le Pen stressed that there was no such conspiracy, but "there is terrible terrorist threat."

On December 11, Cherif Chekatt, known to the French security forces due to multiple breaches of law, started shooting next to a Christmas market in the city of Strasbourg and got away, but was later killed by the law enforcement.

His attack left five people dead.

The shooting took place amid ongoing protests of the so-called Yellow Vests movement that began on November 17. The protesters initially asked the authorities to give up plans for an increased fuel tax, but later demanded wider economic concessions.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said earlier in December that the French Secretariat-General for National Defense and Security (SGDSN) was investigating the allegations of Russia's alleged meddling in the rallies. The chair of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, told Sputnik that Paris thus demonstrated misunderstanding of the real reasons behind the protests and was blaming its own mistakes on Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged the UK public to assess the activities of the BBC broadcaster, which had always been "advocating for an unbiased and independent approach," while in reality, was seeking at any cost to find any "proof" of Moscow's alleged role in the protests, and was effectively engaged in producing fake news.