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3mo ago

French Minister Faces Backlash Over Premature Announcement of Influencer's Arrest

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced the arrest of an Algerian influencer accused of inciting violence, prompting criticism from the Paris prosecutor's office for bypassing judicial protocol.

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Bruno Retailleau s’exprime à l’Assemblée nationale, à Paris le 15 janvier 2025.
Bruno Retailleau a annoncé ce mercredi 22 janvier l'arrestation d'un influenceur algérien.
Le ministre de l'Intérieur Bruno Retailleau à la sortie du Conseil des ministres à l'Elysée, le 22 janvier 2025 à Paris

Overview

  • Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced the arrest of Rafik Meziane, an Algerian influencer accused of inciting violence on TikTok.
  • The Paris prosecutor's office criticized Retailleau's announcement as premature, emphasizing that no charges have been filed and the individual is not in custody due to health concerns.
  • Authorities conducted a search to seize Meziane's devices as part of an investigation into potential hate speech violations online.
  • The arrest comes during heightened tensions between France and Algeria, exacerbated by diplomatic disputes and recent arrests of other Algerian influencers in France.
  • The French government is calling for a normalization of relations with Algeria, strained further by the detention of a Franco-Algerian writer critical of Algeria's regime.