In light of the recent unrest in France stemming from the tragic death of a teenager at the hands of a police officer, a purported press release has emerged on social media alleging that the French Police & Ministry of Interior have announced a partial ban on internet access starting from 03 July 2023. The letter claims that this decision was made to curb the misuse of social media platforms for coordinating illegal activities that incite violence. Let’s verify the authenticity of the claim made in this post.
Claim: French Ministry of Interior, in a press release, has announced a partial ban on internet access starting from 03 July 2023 to curb the misuse of social media platforms for coordinating illegal activities that incite violence.
Fact: The French Ministry of Interior has issued a statement refuting the validity of the letter, declaring it to be false. They affirm that the French Government has not taken any steps to enforce an internet ban regarding this matter. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Through an internet search using appropriate keywords, we discovered the official statement released by the Ministry of Interior on 02 July 2023 regarding this issue. The statement explicitly denounces the authenticity of the letter, categorizing it as false, and affirms that the French Government has not made any decisions to impose an internet ban in relation to this matter.
Additionally, we also came across a corresponding statement issued by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs on 03 July, which categorically dismisses the viral letter as false.
Furthermore, both local media sources and internet shutdown trackers have reported no instances of internet shutdowns being implemented in France at present.
To sum it up, the circulating letter asserting that the French Government has implemented an internet ban in the country is fraudulent. No official decision of this nature has been made thus far.
