A French court has sentenced four Bulgarian nationals to prison terms ranging from two to four years for vandalizing a Jewish memorial in Paris with red handprints. The incident, which took place amid heightened tensions over the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants, is believed by prosecutors to be part of a series of acts possibly orchestrated by foreign powers to destabilize French society.

While the defendants were not charged with acting on behalf of a foreign power, the court found foreign interference to be 'indisputable' and aimed at exploiting divisions within France. All four men have also been banned from entering France for life, with one of the alleged masterminds still at large.

The case is notable as the first of its kind in France, with authorities linking it to a broader pattern of suspected foreign interference, including other acts of vandalism and provocative incidents in Paris. The French authority monitoring foreign interference online reported that the memorial desecration was amplified by individuals connected to Russia on social media.