French left-wing activists adopt WhatsApp strategy

French left-wing activists have begun using a strategy pioneered by Brazilian deputy André Janones to counter far-right content on social media. This approach involves coordinated actions via WhatsApp, aiming to make extreme right content invisible by not engaging with it and avoiding giving it attention.

WhatsApp channel gains rapid popularity

A WhatsApp channel named "L'équipe de Mélenchon officielle" was created and attracted over 111,000 members within 24 hours. The hashtag #OnBloquelExtremeDroite trended in the top 3 on X, reflecting the growing interest in this strategy.

Fashion figure blocks far-right leader

Simon Porte Jacquemus, a prominent French fashion designer, announced on Instagram that he had blocked Jordan Bardella, the president of the far-right National Rally party. Many internet users have followed suit, restricting far-right personalities and media from their social networks.

Brazilian strategy shared with French activists

According to the Blik team, after Lula's victory, Brazilian activists shared their experiences with French counterparts, explaining how they used WhatsApp during the Brazilian election. An explanatory video on the topic was viewed over 6.4 million times on Instagram, 400,000 times on Facebook, and 800,000 times on TikTok.

WhatsApp used to boost Lula's campaign

During the Brazilian election, deputy André Janones created a WhatsApp channel called "Exército do Lula" to support Lula's campaign. The far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro led in the first round, but Lula's team used social media to counter this, directing users to share content and perform searches to influence algorithms in favor of Lula.

Strategy contributed to Lula's victory

Experts Allan Deneuville and Jean-Jacques Kourliandsky noted that the campaign had a strong effect, contributing to Lula's "remontada" or comeback. Lula gained ten million votes between the first and second rounds, ultimately winning with 51.79% of the vote.

French activists replicate the strategy

Following Lula's victory, French left-wing activists quickly adopted the "Janones" method. Antoine Léaument, a deputy and communication head for France Insoumise, emphasized the goal of blocking far-right content to reduce its visibility and focus on supporting content that informs.

Caution against over-blocking

André Janones responded to French enthusiasm, cautioning that "blocking everything" was not the best approach. Antoine Léaument clarified that the aim is to make extreme right content invisible by not responding or giving it audience, rather than a blanket blocking strategy.

France Insoumise applies similar methods

Antoine Léaument detailed the "lessons of janonism" on his blog, noting that France Insoumise had already been applying many of these strategies. He was nicknamed the "French Janones" by Brazilian activists, acknowledging shared characteristics between the two movements.

Looking ahead to 2027

Antoine Léaument believes the movement will continue and lead to a similar outcome as in Brazil. He sees a "form of popular unity" emerging and expects the "osmosis between social mobilizations, youth mobilizations and France Insoumise" to be beneficial for the 2027 presidential election.

Far-right responds with its own strategy

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, invited her followers on X to access her campaign news via a WhatsApp channel, indicating the growing use of such platforms in political communication.