Gabriel Attal renews call for local social media blocks during French riots

Gabriel Attal has renewed his call for the French government to temporarily block access to social media platforms in areas experiencing riots, following unrest across France over the weekend, POLITICO Europe reported on 19 October. The proposal would give authorities a way to restrict online access during disorder, though its legal path remains unclear.

In an interview with French radio station RTL, Attal said the measures must be ‘temporary’ and ‘limited to the area where the riots are taking place,’ according to POLITICO. He argued that young people who see friends looting on social media may conclude they can do the same without consequences, then go out themselves.

Protests behind Attal’s renewed proposal

Attal served as France’s prime minister in 2024. His official biography says he later became president of the Ensemble pour la République parliamentary group and secretary-general of Renaissance. POLITICO described him as a presidential candidate and as the leader of President Emmanuel Macron’s political party.

Earlier TikTok suspension and court decisions

France blocked TikTok in New Caledonia, one of its overseas territories, during protests in 2024, when Attal was prime minister. France’s highest administrative court later ruled that the suspension disproportionately infringed rights and freedoms, POLITICO reported. That ruling provides a relevant precedent for any attempt to restrict access to a platform during unrest.

POLITICO also pointed to a separate decision by France’s Constitutional Council over the summer. The council blocked legislation seeking to ban social media access for children under 15, finding that it disproportionately infringed their rights to freedom of expression and communication. That case concerned a different restriction, and it remains unclear whether Attal’s proposal would survive judicial review.

Attal has set out the geographic and temporary limits he wants, but has not explained in the reported remarks how the government would implement a selective block. The proposal is a call for government powers, rather than a measure currently in force.