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Macron Says Authorities Will Work With Social Media to Censor Calls for Violence

PARIS (Sputnik) - The French authorities will work with different online platforms to stop hate speech and calls for riots, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.
Sputnik
"It is necessary, in the form of cooperation with various platforms, to ensure that messages inciting violence are removed very quickly, to ensure a kind of public order on the Internet that will allow [us] to prevent such riots," Macron told a French news agency in an interview.
The French president also said that it was necessary to "better protect the youth from screens."
In early July, Macron stated that the government could block social media in times of crisis in the midst of protests sparked by the police killing of a 17-year-old teenager of North African descent. Macron’s idea was faced with serious criticism from different political parties. The French president also said those who called for riots through social media would be identified.
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The nationwide protests over the killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk on June 27 lasted for over a week. The French Interior Ministry said the protesting youth set on fire more than 12,000 cars, as well as about 500 city hall buildings, police stations and other government buildings. The economy ministry said over 1,000 retail outlets, about 370 banks, 200 grocery stores and 436 tobacco shops were looted. More than 4,000 people were detained, a significant proportion of whom were minors.
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