FACT CHECK: France to Cut the Internet Due to Riots?

Online reports indicated France would cut internet access due to nationwide riots devastating the country over the past several days.

Reports of an internet blackout in “specific neighborhoods,” starting Monday, have circulated like wildfire Sunday.

Here are a few examples:

🚨🚨🚨EYES ON🚨🚨🚨
FRANCE FULL LOCKDOWN TOMORROW INCLUDING INTERNET BLACKOUT

France is about to go into Full Lockdown with full internet blackout 2moro. You have until midnight to prepare. Food, Water & Supplies. Shooting the 17….year old boy was the way to slip this in.… pic.twitter.com/fGI99FCxCM

— GH17TAFKAG (@GH17TAFKAG) July 2, 2023

Full on lockdown & internet shut-down coming to France tomorrow….?

Who didn’t see this coming….? pic.twitter.com/5ZyhMRcHJ7

— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) July 2, 2023

As night falls across France we see a nation in distress. A leader out of control and a people terrorised. Censorship and a media and internet blackout are about to begin with an hour or two. #WEF orchestrated chaos in full operation. Only a military intervention can bring this… pic.twitter.com/1ETqN649mS

— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) July 2, 2023

From Midnight Rider:

France is planning a shutdown of the nation’s internet in an attempt to stop the world from seeing what invaders are doing to the nation.

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In just the span of a few days, France has devolved into a middle eastern nation engulphed in war and its despot limiting news from reaching the outside world.

This is the circulating document, allegedly from the Ministry of the Interior in France, saying there’s an impending internet blackout.

According to the document, “temporary restrictions will be applied to internet access in certain specific neighborhoods during night hours. These restrictions aim to prevent the misuse of social media and online platforms to coordinate illegal actions and incite violence.”

However, it appears this is a fake document.

The Ministry of the Interior and Overseas in France tweeted: “This document is a FALSE.”

“No decision has been made in this regard,” the tweet added.

The tweet reads:

“A press release from @PoliceNationale would announce temporary restrictions on internet access in certain districts. This document is a FALSE: no decision has been made in this regard.”

#ViolencesUrbaines | Attention aux #FakeNews

📃Un communiqué de presse de la @PoliceNationale annoncerait des restrictions temporaires à l’accès internet dans certains quartiers.

❌Ce document est un FAUX : aucune décision n’a été prise en ce sens. pic.twitter.com/LQYPKxp0KO

— Ministère de l'Intérieur (@Interieur_Gouv) July 2, 2023

The Directorate-General of the National Police (DGPN) also reportedly said the press release saying internet access would be cut in “certain neighborhoods” was false.

“We inform you that we have not written a press release announcing temporary restrictions on Internet access in certain neighborhoods, this is fake news,” the DGPN reportedly said.

🇨🇵 | LO ÚLTIMO: El Ministerio del Interior de Francia dice que es falsa la información que el gobierno francés quisiera cortar Internet.

“Cuidado con las fake news. Una nota de prensa de la Policía Nacional anunciaría restricciones temporales en el acceso a Internet en… pic.twitter.com/dcOAP6KZyR

— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundoNews) July 2, 2023

#France #protests: beware #FakeNews warns #France’s ministry of the Interior – citing example of fake tweet purportedly from police saying there are temporary restrictions on accessing the Internet in certain areas. This is FALSE: no such decision has been taken says the ministry https://t.co/ELKkxzNIBG

— Bénédicte Paviot (@BenedictePaviot) July 2, 2023

It appears the circulating document has fooled many prominent accounts of Twitter.

“I hate it when I post fake stuff. Apologies for the Ministry of Interior tweet. I made the fatal error of not personally verifying with the government web site. School girl error,” Bernie’s Tweets said.

https://twitter.com/BernieSpofforth/status/1675472250881843202

Could the internet be shut down at a later time?

Maybe.

But it doesn’t appear that’s the case right now.

It appears there has been no such announcement about cutting internet services.

However, things could change in this drastically developing situation.

An internet blackout isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

This very well could be the future:

https://twitter.com/BernieSpofforth/status/1675618810911416320

However, we’ll have to say fake news (for now).

We’ll provide updates as they become available.