Why the French state fears Elon Musk

The French government on Wednesday declared war on X and on Elon Musk, directly threatening to ban the platform. Speaking on France Inter, Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s Foreign Minister, accused Musk of allowing X to become a platform for interference undermining European ‘public discourse’. Barrot demanded that the European Commission act with ‘the utmost firmness’. He has repeatedly complained to Brussels and said that if the EU fails to act, potentially by banning X outright, France may demand the power to protect itself. ‘The debate on public platforms,’ he declared, ‘cannot be outsourced to unregulated social networks controlled by billionaires.’

Make no mistake – this isn’t about interference or democracy. It’s about control. The French government is panicking. It’s losing the information war, and it knows it. Musk and his platform threaten the state’s ability to dictate the narrative. President Macron and his government can see all too well the tussle in Britain between Starmer and Musk, and they’re horrified.