A police officer stands by a car which is upside down on a street following a fourth consecutive night of rioting in France sparked by the death of teenage driver Nahel by a police bullet, in Lyon, south-eastern France on July 1, 2023. Photo by OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP)
Social media companies are once again under scrutiny, this time in France as the country’s president blames TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms for helping fuel widespread riots over the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old driver.
On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron accused social media of playing a "considerable role” in encouraging copycat acts of violence as the country tries to tamp down protests that surfaced long-simmering tensions between police and young people in the country.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said police made 917 arrests on Thursday alone. More than 300 police officers have also been injured attempting to quell the rioting over the death of the teenager, who is of north African descent and has only has been identified by his first name, Nahel.
Macron, who in tandem castigated video games for the rioting, said the French government would work with social media sites to take down "the most sensitive content” and identify users who "call for disorder or exacerbate the violence.”
WHY IS THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT CONCERNED? A French official, speaking anonymously in line with the presidency’s customary practices, cited an example of the name and address of the police officer who shot at Nahel being published on social media. A prison officer also has seen his professional card going online, the official said, suggesting it could put the person’s life and family at risk.
During his speech on Friday, Macron did not specify what type of content he viewed as "sensitive,” but he said he expected "a spirit of responsibility” from the social media platforms.
Talks between the government and social media platform, including Snapchat and Twitter, have started with the aim to speed up the process to remove content inciting to violence, the official said. The French government is also pushing for identifying people who launch calls for violence but it’s still at the "discussion” stage.
Darmanin said that in a meeting with social networks, he’d delivered a warning that they can’t allow themselves to be used as channels for calls to violence.
"They were very cooperative,” he said. "We’ll see tonight if they really are."
Darmanin said on Friday that French authorities will provide social media companies with "as much information as possible” so that, in return, they get identities of people who incite violence, adding that authorities will "pursue every person who uses these social networks to commit violent acts.”
He also said that the country will take "all necessary measures if we become aware that social networks, whoever they are, don’t respect the law.”
