Culture as a Permanent Weapon Against Social Downgrading and Disinformation in France and Europe
Debate Evening, Roubaix, June 11, 2025
Roubaix
11.06.2025
On June 11th, in Roubaix (France), a debate evening was held on the role of culture in a society where emotions and irrational beliefs often overshadow reasoned reflection. Frédéric Lefebvre (president of Mouvementa Démocrate 59, regional councillor, metropolitan councillor, and deputy mayor for culture and heritage in Roubaix) warmly welcomed us. Around him were Mathilde Desjonquères (historian, former member of parliament for Loir-et-Cher and co-host of the Arts and Culture Village), Alice Bernard-Montini (president of the Young Democrats for Europe and representative of the IED), and Olivia Leboyer (PhD in political science and facilitator of Université 133). Several local elected officials from Roubaix, Lille, Tourcoing, Douai, and Marcq-en-Barœul were present to engage in discussion on this crucial topic.
Culture as a Permanent Weapon Against Social Downgrading and Disinformation in France and Europe, Debate Evening, Roubaix, June 11, 2025
In the digital age, politics, the shaping of public opinion, and even the construction and articulation of problems themselves are undergoing transformation. Our relationship to time and space is profoundly altered—and, in a certain sense, so too are our beliefs. While misinformation is simply false information, disinformation involves an intentional effort to deceive.
On the geopolitical level, we increasingly observe massive disinformation strategies that deliberately exploit diffuse fears and anxieties within our societies. In the war against Ukraine, Russia has consciously inverted the meaning of values by constructing a counter-narrative in which the Maidan movement is equated with Nazism and Ukraine is portrayed as the aggressor. In the United States, the ramblings of former President Donald Trump disregard truth and deliver deliberately provocative assertions. J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich defending freedom of expression is a paradigmatic example of this trend. These strategies exploit the vulnerabilities of liberal democracies, attacking them at their core. Hannah Arendt’s words deserve close attention: "In an incomprehensible world (…) the masses had reached a point where they simultaneously believed everything and nothing, where everything seemed plausible and nothing was true." (The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1951)
Fake news represent a genuine threat—even to those ostensibly equipped to identify them. The sheer volume of information makes it difficult to maintain constant vigilance. Increasingly, algorithmic bubbles enclose groups within spirals of conspiracy theories. This phenomenon is notably analyzed by Gérald Bronner in La démocratie des crédules. Faced with such a worrying diagnosis, we must resist falling into lamentation or the "things were better before" mindset. In itself, digital technology is neither good nor bad; it can be an extraordinary tool for discovery for those who learn to use it effectively.
This is the key: much like in cooking, where one learns to combine and cook ingredients, the new codes, languages, and behaviors require learning. Frédéric Lefebvre emphasizes that cultural policy must not be imposed in an elitist manner; accompaniment is necessary to reach those who would not spontaneously engage with the increasingly abundant cultural offerings available online. Public reading sessions, for instance, in a media library, enable genuine exchange in a convivial space. Opening media libraries on Sundays is a way to attract more young people to these places. Through voice, listening, and explanation, texts take on new dimensions. Transmission is essential. Likewise, in museums, Lefebvre advocates for an interactive approach where visitors are not mere spectators. Museum visits should be an experiential learning opportunity where one trains their gaze to better decipher their surroundings. Paintings, in a way, also convey the earliest fake news: the art of portraiture traditionally presents its subjects as more beautiful, wealthier, and adorned with more allure than they actually are.
In Loir-et-Cher, Mathilde Desjonquères has undertaken several cultural initiatives aimed at bringing culture directly to the people, in the streets: linking libraries with schools, ensuring their free access, and organizing temporary exhibitions. Exhibitions and performances are places of exchange and life, where critical thinking is forged through discussion. The association Loir-et-Cher Tech entrusted an animation project to an organization specialized in inclusion and cultural acculturation. Similarly, in Roubaix, a very interesting initiative is developing: the Tech Breakfasts, which aim to familiarize people very distant from digital technology with these tools, in a pleasant and friendly setting.
For we all agreed on this point: psychological barriers persist. The feeling of social demotion is a reality. If encounters and triggers do not occur, some will not engage with available cultural offerings because they have internalized the belief that culture is not meant for them. This is Pierre Bourdieu’s thesis on social reproduction. For those without the codes, mediation is essential: through schools, associations, libraries and media libraries, and festivals. Alice Bernard-Montini develops this idea of a feeling of illegitimacy and questions what AI changes in our relationship to the world and our behaviors. AI can also prove to be a wonderful creative tool—provided its use is properly regulated. At the European level, such regulation is vital. The European Union, in particular, is often the target of fake news spread by Eurosceptics. Cultural bridges such as Erasmus and Arte help better apprehend cultures in their diversity and resist the ease of fearing the foreigner.
Rich in questioning, the discussion highlighted the attention paid by the Democratic Movement to the fight against inequalities of destiny. Culture must never be an exclusive preserve of an elite. Similarly, believing that one holds certainty about good taste is quite dangerous, even though it is important, of course, to acquire knowledge and methodology. Yet again, learning must take place collectively, in a spirit of curiosity and inquiry.
Further reading
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Post-Truth: The Credibility of Scientific Discourse in the Age of “Alternative Facts,” edited by Charles Mercier, Jean-Philippe Warren, and Régis Malet, Presses universitaires de Rennes, Essays, April 2025.
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France Forum No. 416 (Summer 2024): How Digital (De)Constructs Democracy, preface by Jean-Noël Barrot, with an interview of Marina Ferrari (former Ministers Delegate for Digital Affairs).