France riots: Presidential hopeful Attal pitches social media blackout
The former PM said measures must be “temporary” and “limited to the area where the riots are taking place.”
French presidential hopeful Gabriel Attal has once again called for the government to have the authority to selectively block access to social media platforms in order to address the recent unrest in France. Speaking to French radio station RTL, Attal, a former prime minister and leader of Macron's political party, suggested that such a move could be temporary and limited to the specific areas affected by riots.
The unrest began on Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of protesters taking to the streets across the country, with students joining trade unions and citizens to protest against rising living costs. While many demonstrations were peaceful, instances of extreme violence were also reported nationwide, leading to over 2,000 arrests.
During his time as prime minister last year, Attal implemented a temporary block on TikTok in one of France's overseas territories, New Caledonia, in response to protests there. However, the Constitutional Council blocked this measure as it considered it a disproportionate infringement of rights and freedoms. The feasibility of Attal's current proposal remains uncertain, particularly given the court's recent decision on the social media ban for minors, which was deemed disproportionate in its infringement on minors' freedom of expression and communication.
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