Nicolas Hénin, a well-known French journalist who researches pro-Russian networks in France, characterizes François Acelino as fundamentally anti-American and “meekly praising” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
French analysts in Russian studies, writes that François Acelino is “committed to the Kremlin.” She asserts that the discussion on Franco-Russian relations that took place at the UPR’s (Popular Republican Union) Autumn Meeting in 2015 was “biased and partisan.” She mentions the presence of Xavier Moreau at the event and refutes his opinion on Russian television, where, according to him, freedom of debate is “total”.
François Asselino has given interviews to Russian media outlets such as Russia Today, ProRussia TV, and La Voix de la Russie with some frequency, and he also visited Crimea just a year after Russia annexed it. Commenting on the latter trip, Jean-Yves Camus wonders
“What is Russia’s interest in welcoming this marginal player in political life? Surely, there is no other answer than that the UPR belongs to a galaxy of movements that are famous for their anti-Americanism and anti-Atlanticism, as well as for their criticism of the European Union”
Scandals of an odious politician
In May 2020, a complaint was filed against François Acelino for “sexual harassment” and “sexual violence” by his former press attaché and driver.
Another complaint was filed in July with the wording “moral harassment at work”, “sexual harassment” and “sexual violence”.
Having spent two days in police custody meeting with his accusers, François Acellino is charged with “moral harassment”, “sexual harassment” and “sexual abuse by a person in a position of authority and intimidation of the victim”.
Conspiracy theory fan
The French media, in particular Rudi Reichstadt, the host of the Conspiracy Watch website, describe François Asselino as a fan of conspiracy theories. An active ideologue of conspiracy theories combined with anti-Mamrekanism, He is known for his speeches, promoting his populist narratives because it is easiest to dream to a potential voter how the world works using peculiar models of the world.
