Macron under fire over threatening to block social media

French President Emmanuel Macron is under fire over threatening to block social media in times of public unrest.

The French president told mayors on Tuesday that one of the options to control protests could be to cut access to social media platforms such as "Snapchat" and "TikTok."

“We need to think about how young people use social networks and the prohibitions that must exist […] When things get out of control we may have to regulate or block them,” Macron said in a meeting of hundreds of mayors whose municipalities saw thousands of people protesting against the government.

According to the government, during the recent widespread protests in France, young people used social media to organize the protests following the killing of a 17-year-old by a police officer in a suburb of Paris.

Last week, Macron blamed social media platforms and video games for further instigating the countrywide protests.

“Above all, we shouldn’t do this in the heat of the moment, and I’m glad we didn’t have to. But I think it’s a real conversation we have to have,” the French president said.

The statement caused a backlash from the opposition with many leaders criticizing the move.

The co-founder of the collective Front de Mères (Front of Mothers), Fátima Wasac, who represents parents in the working-class districts, said that the issue is a distraction.

“It’s a distraction tactic. Instead of discussing the issue of police brutality, we’re talking about the responsibility of social media and parents,” she said.

On Wednesday, the French government tried to downplay Macron's remarks about potentially cutting social media during the unrest.

Elysee officials said the president was not threatening a “general blackout,” but instead “occasional and temporary suspension” of the platforms. 

"The president said it was technically possible, but not that it was being considered. Nothing should be ruled out on principle," a French official from Digital Minister Jean-Noël Barrot's team, told POLITICO.

Asked about Macron's comments during a press conference on Wednesday, government spokesman Olivier Véran said there could be temporary "suspensions of functionalities, such as geolocation, which allows users to find themselves in such and such a place, to show such and such a scene."

In the wake of the protests, some French lawmakers this week tried to tighten the noose on social media platforms during votes on France's tech bill, which is currently under discussion in the parliament.

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