(AFP) – French authorities on Sunday detained three Algerians on suspicion of inciting violence with TikTok videos, and at least two of them were charged with terrorism-related charges.
The arrests come amid heightened political tensions between Paris and its former North African colony.
A video blogger known as “Imad Tintin” was arrested on Friday outside Grenoble after releasing a video urging his followers to “burn alive, kill and rape on French territory.”
The post was viewed 800,000 times before it was deleted, but hard-line right-wing Interior Minister Bruno Letailault published a video on his social media accounts condemning the publication as “despicable”.
On Sunday, a judge placed the 31-year-old blogger under judicial supervision, according to the Grenoble public prosecutor's office.
He was scheduled to appear in an expedited trial on Monday on a charge of “direct incitement of terrorist acts,” state prosecutors said.
“Imad Tintin” entered France in December 2021 and applied for a residence permit in August 2023 after marrying a French woman. However, his application was refused and he is also subject to an expulsion order.
~ Crime of inciting terrorism ~
In the second case, a 25-year-old Algerian man who goes by the name Youssef A. but is known on social media as Zazou Youssef was detained in the western city of Brest on Friday, prosecutor Camille said. Miansoni said in a statement.
He is scheduled to go on trial there on February 24 on charges of “publicly advocating acts of terrorism” in posts to his hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers.
If convicted, he could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of 100,000 euros ($103,000), the statement added.
Zazou Youssef appeared in a video posted to TikTok on December 31, calling for attacks in France and violence in Algeria.
He was living in France on a temporary residence permit.
TikTok told AFP that the accounts that posted the videos were banned for posting multiple videos that violated its hate speech rules.
– Video targeting Algerian activists –
Prosecutors announced the arrests of Imad Tintin and Youssef on Friday, and Interior Minister Bruno Lutailot announced a third arrest on Sunday.
A third man was detained in the southern coastal city of Montpellier for making violent statements targeting Algerian activists opposed to the government.
Prosecutors told AFP that local authorities had reported a video of the influencer saying “kill them, make them suffer” about activists.
The regional governor's office told AFP it was considering revoking the blogger's residence permit and issuing an expulsion order.
– Tensions between France and Algeria –
Tensions between France and Algeria have been rising since President Emmanuel Macron reiterated France's support for Morocco's sovereignty in the disputed region of Western Sahara during his landmark visit to the kingdom last year.
Western Sahara, once a Spanish colony, is largely under the de facto control of Morocco. However, this is being argued by the Saharawi separatists of the Polisario Front, who are demanding a referendum on self-determination and are supported by Algeria.
Meanwhile, French-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, a major figure in modern Francophone literature, has been imprisoned by Algerian authorities since mid-November on national security charges.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrault addressed Sansalle's case on Sunday, saying he had “doubts” about Algeria's commitment to the 2022 roadmap the two countries set to smooth post-colonial relations. .
Algerian dissident Chaouki Benzera told AFP that Zazou Youssef and Imad Tintin took part in “a war waged by the Algerian regime in France”.
After taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019, Benzela fled to France.
He accused Algerian authorities of mobilizing a “significant” number of influencers who called for “violence”.
