The vaccine misinformation battle raging in France

France is one of the most vaccine-sceptical countries in the world - fertile ground for hard-line anti-vaccine activists spreading online misinformation, writes the BBC's specialist disinformation reporter Marianna Spring.

In his spare time, Gilles loves to watch sci-fi films and read bandes dessinées - French comic books.

He also helps run a conspiracy-themed French-language Facebook group with 50,000 members, many of whom spread falsehoods about coronavirus.

He became a member just after the start of the pandemic, almost a year ago.

"I felt in my gut that this whole thing was overrated and wrong," Gilles says. He doesn't deny - like some others in the group - that Covid-19 is real. Instead he harbours vague suspicions about the disease, potential cures, and alleged cover-ups.

And he doesn't want a Covid vaccine, because of posts he's seeing on the group.