Macron says that social media platforms should co-operate with French authorities to contain the violence

French President Emmanuel Macron called on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to cooperate with French authorities in order to contain the violence that has erupted in the country following the killing of a 17-year-old boy by a police officer. Macron emphasized the significant role played by social media platforms in the recent events during a televised statement from a government emergency meeting.

Specifically mentioning TikTok and Snapchat, Macron stated that social media helps rioters organize the unrest, and some posts contribute to imitating violent behavior by young individuals. He expressed concern that some youths seem to be reenacting video games in the streets.

Macron announced that the government would collaborate with social media networks to remove the most sensitive types of content. Additionally, he stated that the government was requesting social media companies to disclose the identities of individuals who use these platforms to incite disorder and promote violence.

Macron hurriedly returned to France from a Brussels summit to preside over a crisis meeting regarding the situation. He reported that a total of 492 structures had been damaged, 2,000 vehicles burned, and 3,880 fires ignited across the country. The nationwide unrest stemmed from the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Nahel, a young person of North African origin, which has reignited concerns about policing and racial profiling.

Despite the deployment of approximately 40,000 police officers and gendarmes, including elite Raid and GIGN units, in multiple cities and the implementation of curfews and bans on public gatherings, there were reports of violence and damage in various areas. According to the latest figures from the interior ministry, 875 people were arrested overnight, and over 200 police officers were injured, none of them seriously.

The rioting associated with the Paris police shooting even spread to the Belgian capital, with 63 people detained by Brussels police for setting fires and building barricades.