Three Bulgarian men are on trial in Paris this week for alleged involvement in spray-painting blood-red hands on the city's Holocaust Memorial – an act of vandalism that French intelligence services link to a destabilisation campaign by Russia.
Some 500 red hands were painted last year on a stone monument honoring those who saved Jews in France during World War II. The graffiti was initially viewed in the context of the war in Gaza, which has led to a rise in antisemitic incidents and tensions around Europe.
But French intelligence services claim the red hands are part of a long-term strategy by Russia to use paid proxies to divide public opinion, stoke social tensions and spread false information, according to court documents.
Four Bulgarians are charged in the Holocaust Memorial case, but only three are in custody and were present for the trial, which began on Wednesday. The alleged ringleader, Mircho Angelov, is at large.
Plaintiffs include the Paris Holocaust Memorial and the League against Racism and Antisemitism.
The trial runs through to 3 November. Suspects face charges including criminal conspiracy or aggravated degradation of property based on race, ethnicity or religion. If convicted, they could face up to seven years in prison €75,000 fines.
'Unprecedented interference': how Russia is attempting to shape Moldova’s future
Apologies and regrets
The first to testify, Georgi Filipov, said he painted the red hands in exchange for 1,000 euros to help pay child support for his 9-year-old son. He said he was paid by Angelov and did not address accusations of Russian involvement.
“I acknowledge having participated in these acts. I formally apologise to the victims, and I apologise for the damage. I also apologise to the French authorities,” he told the court through translators.
Filipov said he was a former neo-Nazi and that he might have been recruited because his social media feeds showed him with neo-Nazi tattoos and a t-shirt praising Hitler. He claimed he only understood the antisemitic nature of the act on his return to Bulgaria.
Kiril Milushev said he'd been paid 500 euros to film the graffiti at Angelov’s instruction and regretted "having participated in this act".
The third defendant, Nikolay Ivanov, was questioned about his role in four incidents of alleged Russian interference. He denied any pro-Russian connections or sentiments, and any responsibility for the red-hands graffiti.
Ivanov is accused of buying plane tickets for the other defendants from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to Brussels, and then Brussels-Paris bus tickets, and paying for their hotel in Paris. He said he bought the tickets and hotel stays at Angelov's request, and had only “rendered a service to a friend".
Foreign actors amplifying calls to 'block everything' in France
String of strange incidents
The red hands graffiti is among several strange incidents over the past two years in France, and the first to come to trial.
In October 2023, shortly after the start of the Israel-Hamas war, stencils of blue Stars of David appeared on Paris buildings. French authorities accused Russian security services of stirring up controversy around the stars. Two Moldovans were detained and deported in the case.
France claims Russian interference over Star of David graffiti in Paris
In June 2024, five coffins appeared at the foot of the Eiffel Tower with references to Ukraine ahead of a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Filipov, the defendant in the red hands case, said he was initially recruited to transport the coffins but testified that he backed out when he was told to put them beneath the famous Paris landmark.
Three other men, born in Bulgaria, Germany and Ukraine, are suspected in the case, and a warrant has been issued for their arrest.
Last month, severed pigs' heads were found near nine Paris-area mosques, five of which had President Emmanuel Macron's name written on them. An investigation is under way.
(with newswires)
