People say that French President Emmanuel Macron asked Pavel Durov, one of the founders of Telegram, to visit France, but Macron has denied this. In a news meeting while in Serbia on August 29, Macron made it clear that he didn’t know about Durov’s trip to France and hadn’t invited him.
After Durov was arrested, France was criticized all over the world, and Macron’s statements were in reaction. The French leader made it clear that the French court system is handling the case on its own, and he denied that the arrest was happening for political reasons.
BREAKING: Macron – I was absolutely not aware of his arrival. That is normal.
— Viktor 🐯🧡 (@s0meone_u_know) August 29, 2024
It is false to say that I had made an invitation.pic.twitter.com/s26CSRl0lL
Durov was given a €5 million bail because he was being charged with illegal activities on Telegram, including drug dealing and child abuse. He has to stay in France and regularly check in with the police. People around the world are angry about the arrest. They say France is going too far and compare it to authoritarian governments.
Gabor Gurbacs, a former digital asset manager, and Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius Labs, have both spoken out against the arrest, calling into question the law and people’s right to free speech. Concerns have also been made about a possible crackdown on free speech and decentralized technology. Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski had to leave Europe because he said he was threatened by French officials.
