Is social media responsible for fueling the riots in France?

France was burning because of the violent protests in the aftermath of the police killing of Nahel, a 17-year-old teenager, in Nanterre during a traffic stop. But is social media to be blamed for fueling the riots in the nation?

A couple of days ago, French President Emmanuel Macron asked the parents to keep child rioters off the streets. Macron said that some young people appeared to be copying violent video games which had "intoxicated" them. Macron has said that dozens of those arrested were "young, or very young".

Besides warning parents, Macron also urged social media firms to remove the "most sensitive" content related to the rioting. He even claimed video games played a role in the riots.

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During his speech on Friday, Macron did not specify what type of content he viewed as “sensitive,” but said he expected “a spirit of responsibility” from the social media platforms.

Overall, experts are again saying that social media companies such as TikTok, Snapchat and other platforms played a role to fuel widespread riots over the fatal police shooting incident.

As reported by The Associated Press, a French official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, cited an example of the name and address of the police officer who shot at Nahel being published on social media.

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The official said that a prison officer also has seen his professional card going online, which suggested that it could put the person's life and family at risk.

Macron gave a speech on Friday, in which he said that he expected "a spirit of responsibility" from the social media platforms but did not specify what type of content he viewed as "sensitive".

The official said that the government also spoke to the social media platform, including Snapchat and Twitter, asking them to remove content inciting violence.

According to the official, the French government is also working to identify people who launch calls for violence. However, the move is still at the "discussion" stage.

Cyber harassment law in France

In France, there is a law against cyber harassment as social media threats of crimes, like rape and murder can be prosecuted. However, it's very rare.

A bill was approved by the parliament of the country in 2020 that would force platforms and search engines to remove prohibited content within 24 hours.

Around 12 months later, 11 of 13 people were charged by the court with harassing and threatening a teenager who harshly criticised Islam in an online post. But notably, the people charged were only those who could be tracked down.

(With inputs from agencies)

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