When situations in France spiral out of control, President Emmanuel Macron suggested that government should think about regulating and shutting down social media networks.
After a teenager was shot by police during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb last week, the president reportedly made these remarks as ministers criticized young people using platforms like Snapchat and TikTok for organizing and supporting unrest and violence.
Social Media Shutdown?
"We need to think about how young people use social networks... When things get out of hand, we may have to regulate them or cut them off," Macron stated during a conference of over 200 mayors whose communities were affected by the riots, as reported by The Guardian. "Above all, we shouldn't do this in the heat of the moment and I'm pleased we didn't have to."
Macron previously demanded that social media platforms demonstrate a "sense of responsibility" by removing anything that incites or encourages violence and looting.
Last Friday, June 30, French politicians met with Snapchat and TikTok executives. The next day, Justice Minister éric Dupond-Moretti hinted that formal action would be taken to track down and prosecute people who use social media to coordinate criminal activity.
Some have argued that if France adopted such a policy, it would join the ranks of authoritarian nations like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
According to The Guardian, French Socialist Party head Olivier Faure said, "The country of the rights of man and citizens cannot align itself with those great democracies of China, Russia, and Iran."
Central-right Les Républicains member Olivier Marleix chimed in: "Cut social media? Like China, Iran, North Korea? Even if it's a provocation to distract attention, it's in very bad taste."
Upheaval in France
Since a police officer shot and killed 17-year-old Nahel M during a traffic stop on June 27, the French government has been fighting protests and looting amid renewed allegations of systematic racism among the country's security services.
On Wednesday morning, July 5, the nation appeared to be calmer than the night before, with 17 arrests reported, seven of which occurred in Paris.
And on Tuesday evening, July 4, the storms that drenched most of northern France, including the capital, helped restore tranquility after seven days of sweeping chaos.
Meanwhile, French prosecutors have begun an inquiry into the death of a 27-year-old man in Marseille who suffered injuries from a projectile during the disturbances last weekend. A "flash-ball" projectile deployed by riot police was cited as the probable cause of death; however, neither the kind of firearm used nor the identity of the shooter was revealed.
Rubber or compressed foam flash balls are used by riot police as a means of crowd control because of their perceived "less lethal" nature. However, the fatal blow to the chest of the victim resulted in his instantaneous cardiac arrest and death.
Prosecutors stated that it was impossible to identify where the guy was when he was hit.
