France Weighs Social Media Block Amid Yellow Vests Unrest
(MENAFN) The French government has reportedly asked telecom operators to prepare to suspend access to social media platforms if protests this weekend turn violent, according to media reports.
A French online outlet reported that Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu sent a letter Thursday to representatives of Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom, ahead of Saturday’s Yellow Vests demonstrations. The letter reportedly asked the companies to be ready to temporarily cut access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X if violence broke out during the rallies.
Officials from Lecornu’s Cabinet also met online with the operators’ legal directors in the run-up to the protests. According to the meeting minutes, the government wanted any restrictions confined to cellphones and to specific areas.
The operators voiced reservations about the request, saying they did not have the capacity to put such measures in place in the short term. The government has yet to respond to the outlet’s report.
France has used such a measure before. In 2024, it blocked access to TikTok during protests in New Caledonia. In 2025, France’s Council of State overturned the decision to restrict the platform in the territory.
The Yellow Vests movement returned to the streets Saturday to protest the rising cost of living. Roughly 1,000 people have been detained in the demonstrations.
A French online outlet reported that Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu sent a letter Thursday to representatives of Orange, SFR, Free and Bouygues Telecom, ahead of Saturday’s Yellow Vests demonstrations. The letter reportedly asked the companies to be ready to temporarily cut access to TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X if violence broke out during the rallies.
Officials from Lecornu’s Cabinet also met online with the operators’ legal directors in the run-up to the protests. According to the meeting minutes, the government wanted any restrictions confined to cellphones and to specific areas.
The operators voiced reservations about the request, saying they did not have the capacity to put such measures in place in the short term. The government has yet to respond to the outlet’s report.
France has used such a measure before. In 2024, it blocked access to TikTok during protests in New Caledonia. In 2025, France’s Council of State overturned the decision to restrict the platform in the territory.
The Yellow Vests movement returned to the streets Saturday to protest the rising cost of living. Roughly 1,000 people have been detained in the demonstrations.
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