President Emmanuel Macron of France blames social media and video games for the unrest currently sweeping his country. These comments come after Paris experienced three consecutive nights of rioting in response to the fatal police shooting of a teenager.
The inciting incident occurred when a police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre shot and killed a 17-year-old known as Nahel M. The teenager had reportedly attempted to drive away from a traffic stop, at which point one officer fired into the car, killing him. Nahel's death was met with widespread outrage, fueling existing calls for greater police accountability. His mother also alleged that the Algerian-descended teen was a victim of racial prejudice. Nanterre residents took to the street in protest, resulting in multiple violent clashes with police. The officer who shot Nahel is under investigation for voluntary homicide.
French President Macron called on parents to keep their teens at home during the protests. The French leader mostly blamed social media for the demonstrations but also claimed that video games influenced the violence and vandalism. "We sometimes have the feeling that some of them are living out, in the streets, the video games that have intoxicated them," Macron said of the rioters. He also said that the demonstrators were mostly very young and that it was their parents' responsibility to keep them home during this period of unrest.
Claims that video games encourage real-life violence are nothing new, with these accusations going back to the 1970s. However, despite decades of public debate, there remains no scientific proof that violence in video games leads to real-world violence. Nevertheless, the medium has long been a common scapegoat for violent crimes. Last year, Texas Senator Ted Cruz blamed video games for mass shootings.
Still, these comments are somewhat surprising from Macron. The French President has previously been supportive of the gaming and esports industries in his country. Last year, he promoted his nation as "The country for video games" and described gaming as an essential part of France's cultural export and a significant aspect of its soft power. Macron has not indicated that the French government will push for any new policies about gaming in response to the riots.
However, the same cannot be said for social media, which Macron says plays a "considerable role" in promoting violence. He specifically called out Snapchat and the controversial video-sharing app TikTok, saying they were being used to coordinate unrest and encourage copycat violence by relaying dramatic images from the protests.
In response, Macron said the French government will work with social media companies to remove "sensitive content." He also said that the authorities would request social networks to share the identities of people who use them to promote violence. However, Macron did not specify which content he wanted to see removed.
Source: AP News