A press release, purportedly issued by France's Ministry of the Interior discussing the ongoing protests in the country's capital city of Paris, has gone viral on social media.
What does the release say?: It says that internet services will be temporarily suspended from 3 July during night hours in certain areas to "prevent misuse of social media and online platforms to coordinate illegal actions and incite violence."
News organisation Scroll also published a report regarding a partial international shutdown, including the document in its story.
How did we find out?: We looked for official communication regarding internet shutdowns in France on the French government's websites, but did not come across any such releases.
What is happening in France?: Riots started in Nanterre, a suburb of France's Paris, after the police reportedly fatally shot a 17-year-old boy named Nahel during a traffic stop.
As many as 40,000 police personnel and riot officers have been deployed across Paris to quell the protests, for over 700 protestors have been arrested.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for peace amid these tensions, tweeting that over a third of the protesters arrested over the weekend were children.
Conclusion: The French government has not imposed complete or partial internet shutdowns in France amid the violence in Paris.
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