Recently, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has called on the popular messaging app Telegram to shut down discussions taking place in the far-right group “FRDETER”. The group has been linked to the dissemination of hate speech, racism, and anti-Semitism. Darmanin’s request comes amid growing concerns about the spread of extremist views online, and the need to combat such rhetoric before it fuels violence or social unrest. In this article, we’ll examine the context behind the Interior Minister’s move and what it means for the fight against online extremism.
The French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, has requested that the encrypted messaging service Telegram close down discussion groups used by the far-right group “FRDETER”. According to Darmanin, the group was exchanging racist remarks and calls for violence. These Telegram groups have been under surveillance since late 2022 and reportedly have several hundred accounts, with some being known by intelligence services. The existence of these groups was revealed on Twitter by Tajmaât, a platform for Maghrebians, which shared screenshots of the discussions showing racist and threatening comments. Some users purported to be police or military personnel, but many accounts have not yet been identified. The groups were originally established to serve as platforms for sharing “identitarian” ideas, but more violent and extreme profiles later emerged, leading to the attention of law enforcement. Telegram has not yet responded to requests for comment.
La foudre frappe des maisons dans et autour de Haarlem : « Coup gigantesque, j’ai immédiatement couru dehors » – Telegraaf.nl
La foudre frappe des maisons dans et autour de Haarlem : « Coup gigantesque, j’ai immédiatement couru
