Throughout the tumultuous pages of French political history, we’ve witnessed kings and presidents resort to all sorts of outlandish excuses to justify the chaos plaguing their nation. But, few if any at all can rival the sheer absurdity of the latest proclamation from French President Emmanuel Macron.
France is currently embroiled in a raging storm of riots following the tragic shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old delivery driver, by a police officer on June 27. The incident, deemed an unjustifiable display of lethal force, sparked outrage among residents of the Nanterre suburb, where Nahel was shot dead. The flames of protest quickly engulfed the nation, prompting the deployment of 40,000 police officers in an attempt to restore order and peace.
In the midst of the ongoing protests, Emmanuel Macron has singled out social media platforms as the driving force behind the escalating demonstrations, specifically pointing fingers at TikTok and Snapchat.
Macron has further stated that he is actively collaborating with tech companies to devise protocols for “the removal of the most sensitive content” and emphasized that he expects “a spirit of responsibility” from them.
Snapchat spokesperson Rachel Racusen has echoed the sentiments of the French President, stating:
Violence has devastating consequences, and we have zero tolerance for content that promotes or incites hatred or violent behaviour on any part of Snapchat. We proactively moderate this type of content and when we find it, we remove it and take appropriate action. We do allow content that is factually reporting on the situation.
But Macron didn’t stop there. The two-time elected president didn’t shy away from blaming video games for the ongoing protests, stating:
We sometimes have the feeling that some of them are living out, in the streets, the video games that have intoxicated them.
Well, well, well, folks! It seems that French President Emmanuel Macron wants us to believe that the protests happening all over the country and its overseas territories are nothing more than a consequence of gamers being brainwashed by video games.
Apparently, they are so deeply influenced by these games that they’re now ready to throw caution to the wind, risking life, limb, and even a run-in with the law just to recreate their favorite game moments in the real world.
Macron would also have us believe that these riots are unrelated to police brutality or the undeniable truth that Nahel, a young man of Algerian descent, wasn’t fatally shot by a police officer in a nation that has turned a blind eye to racist police violence for far too long.
It’s truly appalling that the president of a country that claims to be the cradle of human rights would dare to divert attention and point fingers at video games.
Sadly, this isn’t the first occasion on which the gaming community has been unfairly targeted in the aftermath of violent incidents. Just last year, after the tragic mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, Fox News presenter Jon Scott unjustly placed the blame on video games.
Despite conclusive evidence pointing to the attack being racially motivated, Scott chose to scapegoat the gaming industry, stating:
It seems like these things have gotten so much worse since video games became so realistic and so violent.
The alarming increase in mass shootings across the US can be largely attributed to easy access to firearms. Rather than addressing the root cause with strict gun control laws, the American legislature seems more inclined to sit back and have companies construct bulletproof safety shelters in schools as a protective measure against shooters.
Politicians and the mainstream media have shamelessly propagated the notion that playing video games fuels aggression and turns non-violent individuals into criminals for years. However, Reddit users on the r/gaming sub had an absolute blast debunking this ridiculous idea.
Here are some of our favorite comments:
So there you have it! We better watch out for those power-ups and save points on the streets of France from now on. Let’s just hope they remember to save their progress before things get too chaotic. Game on, protesters! Game on!
