ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - February 26, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - February 26, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• Protesters in Paris Clash with Police
• Bolsonaro Denies Coup Plot as Thousands Rally in Support of Former Brazilian Leader
• U.S. Leading Global Alliance to Counter Foreign Government Disinformation

Protesters in Paris Clash with Police

Protesting farmers clashed with police at the Paris Agricultural Fair, delaying the start of this annual event. Organizers accuse their national government and the European Union (EU) of imposing onerous environmental regulations and price-cutting measures that imperil the livelihood of rural workers. Widespread demonstrations by farmers have been ongoing in France since January 2024 but diminished in the weeks following Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s announcement of new assistance measures and subsidies for the agricultural sector on February 1. This new resurgence of protest activity appears to be intended to maintain pressure on the government to fulfill its promises as well as to potentially extract additional concessions. The Paris Agricultural Fair is scheduled to run until March 3, and it is likely that there will be similar disruptions to the event going forward.

Bolsonaro Denies Coup Plot as Thousands Rally in Support of Former Brazilian Leader

Thousands of supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro gathered in the country's largest city, São Paulo, on the iconic Paulista Avenue to express their solidarity with the former leader as he faces numerous legal challenges. According to his lawyer, Bolsonaro is under investigation by the Brazilian Federal Police for an alleged attempted coup plot to maintain power after losing the 2022 presidential election. Bolsonaro has been barred from running for political office until 2030 by the country's highest electoral court due to his abuse of power and misuse of public media during the 2022 election campaign.

U.S. Leading Global Alliance to Counter Foreign Government Disinformation

The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have signed a framework to counter foreign state manipulation, aimed at addressing disinformation as a national security threat that requires coordinated government and civil society responses. The coalition encourages information-sharing and joint data analysis tools to identify covert foreign disinformation. The U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) focuses solely on disinformation by foreign powers and is working to develop global strategies and expose specific covert disinformation operations, such as a Russian operation in Africa to discredit U.S. health services.