IN THIS EDITION
ON THE RISE
Weekly Watch of Emerging Disinformation Risks
Crime, migrants and disinformation: an online banquet for extremists, a real-world danger for societies
It is well known that far-right extremism on social media, along with the clickbait tactics of those seeking to monetize engagement, thrives on crime stories involving immigrants and foreign nationals. When the individuals involved are Muslim, the specter of terrorism is immediately invoked. And if the facts fail to fit that narrative — for example, if the perpetrator is not an immigrant, or not Muslim — so much the worse for the facts. False content will still circulate across social media platforms, including false news, AI-generated videos and images, or material taken from unrelated contexts. Even genuine reports are accompanied by manipulative commentary aimed at stigmatizing the usual targets. For instance, disproportionate attention is often placed on details such as the color of the skin of the perpetrators, or the nationality or religion of their parents or grandparents: factors that investigators frequently consider irrelevant to the events themselves. Meanwhile, elements that may actually be significant, such as psychopathy or drug use, are ignored or mocked, sometimes through conspiracy theories. The result is the massive and largely unchecked spread online of racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia.
The recent tragedy in Modena, Italy, in which an Italian citizen of Moroccan origin suffering from severe mental illness drove his car into a crowd, seriously injuring several people, once again laid bare this dynamic. Compounding the situation, several mainstream media outlets mistakenly identified and circulated the wrong photograph of the perpetrator, highlighting the haste with which political extremists seize upon such events. Social media profiles belonging to an innocent namesake were combed through, and the discovery of prayers to Allah written in Arabic was enough to fuel a wave of Islamophobia and baseless accusations of terrorism.
As said, this is a recurring problematic phenomenon. Recently in Germany something similar happened: on May 4 2026 a man drove his car into a crowd of people in Leipzig. Immediately far-right groups started circulating the false information that the perpetrator was an Afghan refugee, or a Syrian one, steering racism and xenophobia. But, again, he was a German citizen that acted – according to the authorities – not because of any ideological or terroristic motive, but because of his mental pathologies.
Every time this kind of inflammatory disinformation goes viral online, there is a risk that it will spill over into the real world, putting people’s safety at risk. The most notable case is that of Southport in the United Kingdom. In the Summer of 2024, three young girls were killed there by a 17-year-old boy, a British citizen born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents. But far-right influencers flooded social media platforms with baseless accusations against Muslims and migrants. Protests were organized across the country, and in several cases they turned ugly, with cars set on fire, bricks thrown at a mosque and ethnic shops, and other acts of violence. Something similar, even if less severe, happened the year before in Dublin.
Far-right groups and parties are not the only ones engaging in these tactics, and migrants and muslims are not the only targets. The same schema was adopted, for example, by pro-Russian disinformation networks in Eastern European countries about Ukrainian refugees: not unlike the Muslim migrants in many Western European countries, they are depicted as violent, extremists, parasites. And episodes of violence are exploited to widen cracks in societies and push xenophobic narratives.
ZOOM-IN
A Closer Look at Cases Detected By the EDMO Network
Street crimes, crowd killings and other acts of violence continue to feed false, misleading or symplified narratives targeting migrants and steering racism and xenophobia. A number of recent incidents confirm that, beyond factual differences, each case becomes a pretext for pushing populist political agendas in a variety of European countries. The political weaponization of such events goes beyond the mere stigmatization of migrants as criminals to justify repressive policies, but includes a wider range of potential targets, including civil society organizations and charities providing support to asylum seekers and human right compliant measures, as well as – lately – the EU institutions themselves. Ultimately, each identity-based disinformation incident fits into the well-know “great replacement” conspiracy theory, asserting that a shadowy cabal of political elites is intentionally orchestrating mass migration and demographic displacements of native-born white populations in Western nations.
Spanish woman euthanized due to terminal injury: Claims she was raped by migrants are unfounded
The article reports about a Spanish woman, Noelia Castillo, who underwent euthanasia after suffering irreversible injuries from a suicide attempt. Viral Facebook posts falsely alleged that she was raped by migrant minors and euthanized because of depression, a claim relayed by the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal on X. However, the investigation found no evidence supporting claims about migrants. While Castillo did say she had experienced sexual assaults, neither she nor official sources identified the attackers as migrants. Court documents showed that euthanasia was approved primarily because of severe, incurable spinal injuries causing paralysis and constant suffering, combined with psychological distress. The story gained traction nationwide, amid far-right opposition to the extraordinary regularization of migrants approved by Pedro Sanchez’s government last April, allegedly responsible for a sudden surge in illegal landings at different coastal locations in Spain – an allegation spread on Facebook, X and TikTok through fake or decontextualized images.
NGOs and charities targeted by “bait emails” asking about how to illegally enter Ireland
The article examines how disinformation and coordinated online harassment are increasingly affecting Irish non-profit organisations, especially groups supporting migrants. Research conducted for EDMO found that many charities and advocacy groups are being targeted with “bait emails” designed to provoke responses that can later be distorted and shared online to fuel outrage. Examples included fake messages asking for advice on entering Ireland illegally.
According to the study, 85% of surveyed organisations said misinformation makes it harder to achieve their goals. Staff and volunteers reported experiencing racist, misogynistic, and personal abuse, leading some groups to increase security measures, withdraw from social media, or stop sharing photos of staff and service users online. The article also highlights broader distrust toward NGOs, with false narratives portraying them as corrupt, politically biased, or secretly controlled by the government. Researchers warn that these campaigns undermine public trust, discourage vulnerable people from seeking help, and weaken civic organisations’ ability to operate effectively.
Hungarian and Austrian news outlets claim the EU would label any criticism of its migration policy as “institutional racism”
The article from Lakmusz examines false claims published by the Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet about the European Union’s new anti-racism strategy for 2026-2030. The newspaper alleged that the EU planned to introduce “re-education programs” in schools, classify criticism of migration as racism, punish discussion of migrant crime statistics, and cut EU funding to countries refusing to comply. Lakmusz found that none of these claims appear in the actual European Commission document.
The claim relied heavily on an opinion piece from the Austrian website Report24.news, which Lakmusz describes as a conspiracy-oriented outlet known for spreading disinformation, including pro-Russian narratives and false claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entire passages were reportedly translated almost word-for-word into the Hungarian article.
Lakmusz explains that the EU strategy focuses on combating racism and discrimination through legal, educational, and social measures. While it mentions combating hate speech and supporting civil society organisations, it does not propose ideological “re-education,” migration censorship, or punitive measures against dissenting member states.
ELECTION BEAT
Tracking electoral disinformation through EDMO Hubs
Elections in Cyprus and Malta: Findings and Monitoring From MedDMO
As Cyprus and Malta get close to the electoral period, the Mediterranean Digital Media Observatory (MedDMO) is activating its monitoring and analysis processes aimed at identifying potential cases of online disinformation, information manipulation, and coordinated influence operations that may affect public discourse and the ongoing electoral campaigns.
This week, disinformation surrounding the Maltese general elections saw a renewed rise in AI-generated “slopaganda”, a growing trend in electoral manipulation across Europe. Low-quality AI-generated political content designed to influence public opinion continues to spread widely on Facebook, mainly targeting the country’s two main parties: the governing Labour Party and the opposition Nationalist Party. Meanwhile, Net News, a Facebook page owned by the Nationalist Party, was taken down following what appeared to be a coordinated mass-reporting campaign. The incident reflects the use of “swarming tactics”, in which groups of users collectively report content in an attempt to trigger its removal from platforms.
Political advertising has also become a central issue and one of the focuses of the monitoring. Although Meta and Google banned political advertising in the EU in 2025 under new transparency rules, campaign advertisements continue to circulate online without clear political labels.
Alleged interference in the vote and in the electoral campaign: the hoaxes of the Andalusian elections
The Andalusian elections took place on 17 May, with the People’s Party (PP) emerging as the winner, although without an absolute majority. Juanma Moreno, the PP leader, secured 52–53 seats and 41.5% of the vote, but will likely require support from the nationalist right-wing party Vox to remain in power. For further analysis of the results, IBERIFIER partner Newtral published a detailed breakdown.
Disinformation narratives also continued after the election. A viral video allegedly showed a representative of Adelante Andalucía forcing an elderly woman to change her vote. In reality, the footage dated back to the 2023 Granada elections, and the woman featured was linked to a local political group. Meanwhile, posts on Facebook and X falsely claimed that singer Miguel Ríos had lost “thousands” of ticket sales after endorsing a PSOE candidate, despite the theatre denying any refund requests. These cases highlight how electoral disinformation extends beyond election day, seeking to undermine trust and political stability across Europe.
GLOBAL PULSE
Disinformation narratives shaping the world’s conversations
Manipulating Public Perceptions of Conflict: A Deep Dive Into Fake Images of War
Misleading and fabricated images of war continue to circulate widely online, illustrating how visual content remains a particularly powerful vector for disinformation. As outlined in the Nieuwscheckers deep dive, images presented as evidence from active conflict zones are often taken out of context, digitally altered, or entirely unrelated to the events they purport to depict. Examples include recycled footage from video games, AI‑generated scenes, or photographs from past conflicts recirculated as current material. These visuals are frequently reshared with emotionally charged captions, giving them an immediate sense of authenticity despite lacking any verifiable basis.
The article highlights how such imagery plays on the inherent credibility audiences tend to assign to visual evidence, making it especially effective in shaping perceptions of war. Rather than relying on complex narratives, these posts use striking visuals to evoke shock, outrage, or sympathy, often spreading faster than textual misinformation. In a broader sense, the phenomenon reflects a shift in the information environment, where advances in digital tools – from simple editing software to generative AI – lower the barrier to producing convincing false content. The persistence of these manipulations underscores the need for systematic verification practices, as well as a growing awareness that even the most compelling images may not represent reality.
Posing as Real Users, AI Generated “Influencers” Campaign for Trump Ahead of US Midterms
Computer‑generated influencers are increasingly being deployed in political communication, blurring the line between authentic engagement and constructed messaging. As highlighted in the TjekDet analysis, a network of AI‑generated personas has been used to promote content favourable to Donald Trump in the run‑up to US midterm elections, presenting itself as grassroots support while concealing its artificial nature. These accounts combined realistic profile images, coordinated messaging, and high posting frequency to simulate organic political participation, giving the impression of widespread backing without transparent attribution.
The article situates this phenomenon within a broader shift toward automated and synthetic forms of influence, where advances in generative AI enable the scalable production of seemingly credible online identities. Unlike traditional disinformation, which often relies on false claims, these operations operate through amplification and perception – creating the illusion of consensus rather than arguing for it directly. This marks an evolution in digital campaigning tactics, raising concerns about authenticity, accountability, and the integrity of online political discourse as artificial actors become harder to detect.
Global Communities Exploited to Amplify Anti Migration Disinformation: The Narrative of Indian Migrants in Ukraine
Following the previous sections’ analyses of anti‑migration content, this case extends the pattern to a more global register: a viral video allegedly depicting Indian migrants washing clothes in a river in Ivano‑Frankivsk, a city in western Ukraine, was circulated online as supposed proof of uncontrolled migration and cultural disruption. As the Delfi fact‑check makes clear, the footage is misattributed and does not originate from Ukraine; it has been removed from its original context and repurposed to suggest the presence of foreign communities portrayed as incompatible with European norms.
This example illustrates how anti‑immigrant disinformation increasingly operates by importing global imagery into local European settings. By associating “foreign” populations with familiar locations, such content amplifies perceptions of cultural intrusion and social disorder, regardless of factual accuracy. More broadly, it reflects a recurring tactic already observed in European cases: decontextualised visuals are used to construct simplified and emotive narratives about migration, but now with a widened scope that draws on global identities to reinforce exclusionary messaging and deepen societal anxieties.
ON A DIFFERENT NOTE
Major AI Image Detection Tools Mislead Online Users, Often Classifying Authentic Images as Fake.
Paolo Cesarini, Editorial Director
Tommaso Canetta, Editor-in Chief
Editorial Staff: Elena Coden, Paula Gori, Elena Maggi
This edition draws in part on automated translation and reflects information available as of 20 May 2026. Later developments may not be included.
