The European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, in Brussels on November 19, 2020. -

Olivier Matthys / AP / SIPA

The European Union does not want to let anything go about “hate speech” online.

Following the “anti-Semitic” publications which targeted the first runner-up in the Miss France 2021 election, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton recalled Sunday that these contents are “punishable by law”.

Above all, the platforms will soon have to "give themselves the means" to respond "to the injunctions of the authorities".

Empower major platforms

The Digital Services Act (DSA), the first part of a new legislation presented on Tuesday by the European Union, aims to make large platforms accountable, which must in particular have the means to moderate the content they welcome and cooperate with the authorities.

"In France and in Europe, we have laws, it is what makes our living together, our democracy: in no space, it is tolerated to emit hate speech and in this case, anti-Semitic: it is punished by law ”, declared Thierry Breton on BFMTV.

He was questioned about the anti-Semitic comments posted on social networks, of which April Benayoum, Miss Provence, came second in the election of Miss France on Saturday.

“When you are on an airplane and you say this type of thing, the captain has the possibility and the right, often the obligation, to intervene and you are then handed over to the police authorities.

In a ship, it is the same thing, in the street it is the same, ”he continued.

However, "in the information space too", explained the European Commissioner: "I say very clearly to all those who listen to us:" Do not think that because you express yourself on the networks, you are unpunished " ".

The European Parliament and EU member states have already agreed, on December 10, on legislation that requires digital platforms to remove terrorist content within the hour, under penalty of heavy fines.

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  • Society

  • Anti-semitism

  • miss France

  • Social networks

  • EU

  • Cyber ​​harassment