Fact Check: France has not banned Internet after riots

Amid unrest in France following the killing of a teenager, a press release, reportedly issued by the French Ministry of the Interior has gone viral on social media.

The release talks about maintaining law and order and says that the Internet will be suspended in certain specific neighborhoods during night hours from July 3 to “prevent misuse of social media and online platforms to coordinate illegal actions and incite violence.”

Media portal Scroll published a report claiming France has imposed a partial ban on the internet amidst riots over teenager killing. The report also includes the press release.

Several social media users have also made the same claim. (Click here, here, here and here to see the posts.)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the press release doing the rounds is fake.

We did not find any press release regarding the internet shutdown on the French government’s website.

The verified Twitter and Facebook pages of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs have called out the viral document False.

“A “press release” from the French national police force Police Nationale has claimed that temporary restrictions have been imposed on Internet access in certain neighborhoods. This document is FALSE: no such decision has been taken,” read the tweet and Facebook post.

Hence, we conclude that the viral document is fake and has not been issued by France’s Ministry of the Interior.