The French president Emmanuel Macron criticized social media and video games for having fueled protests and riots in France. Riots that exploded after the killing of a teenager by the Parisian police.
It all started last June 27, when the seventeen year old Nahel Merzouk was stopped by two police officers for speeding. Merzouk reportedly attempted to flee the checkpoint and one of the officers responded by shooting. The precise dynamics of the facts are still very confused. The fact is that iThe 17-year-old was pronounced dead an hour later from the policeman’s gunshot wound. News of the incident sparked riots across France, as well as in French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Belgium. Protests that have resulted in numerous clashes between the rioters and the police.
Last Friday – June 30 – Emmanuel Macron declared that the teenager’s death was “inexplicable” and “unforgivable”, but added that “protests must stop for justice to prevail”.
Emmanuel Macron: “Violent video games and social media are fueling protests and clashes in France”
However, Macron’s words did not stop at a simple invitation to calm the waters. Launching into one own sociological analysisMacron said a third of those arrested during the riots are “young or very young”. He then attributed the protests to the use of social media and suggested that video games are responsible for the riots
“Violent video games incite a disconnect from reality”, argued the French head of state, according to which the young protesters “they are imitating video games that have poisoned their minds”. Macron added that it was “parents’ responsibility to keep protesters at home”. You also asked social platforms to “remove sensitive content” related to the clashes.
Obviously the President’s words outraged the supporters of the revolt, according to which the Head of State is downplaying the tragedy of the death of Nahel Merzouk. In addition, the United Nations Human Rights Organization has formally asked the French government to look into “entrenched issues of racism and racial discrimination” within the ranks of law enforcement.
Meanwhile the police officer suspected of shooting Nahel has been charged with “intentional homicide by an authority” and is currently under investigation.