Censorship in France

France has a long history of governmental censorship, particularly in the 16th to 19th centuries, but today freedom of press is guaranteed by the French Constitution and instances of governmental censorship are limited.

There was strong governmental control over radio and television during the 1950s–1970s. Today, the CSA is only responsible for overseeing the observance of French law by the media, such as the 1990 Gayssot Act which prohibits racist and religious hate speech (which historical revisionism, in particular but not only Holocaust denial falls under), and time period allocated to each political party during pre-electoral periods. Furthermore, other laws prohibit homophobic hate speech, and a 1970 law prohibits the advocacy of illegal drugs.^[1]^[2] In 2016, a television ad which advocated that babies with Down Syndrome should not be aborted solely because of their syndrome ran. It was ruled anti-abortion speech and removed.^[3]

Each of these laws has been criticized by some groups, either from the left (especially concerning the 1970 law on drugs) or from the far right (in particular concerning the 1990 Gayssot Act or the laws prohibiting homophobic attacks). Others express the need for minorities to be protected from hate speech which may lead, according to them, to heinous acts and hate crimes, while still others claim that one cannot tolerate free speech concerning drugs as it is a matter of public health and moral order. However, the 2005 vote of the law on colonialism voted by the UMP conservative parliamentary majority has lifted a debate, especially among historians, concerning the legitimacy and relevancy of such "memory laws." Although a fair amount of historians are opposed to such laws, few advocate their repeal because they think that repealing democratically agreed upon laws would be a greater evil. Finally, critics, in particular, but not only, from the left wing, have criticized economic censorship, in particular through concentration of media ownership (Bouygues' influence, for instance, on TF1), or the fact that Dassault or Lagardère, both military firms, control several newspapers in France, such as Le Figaro (owned by Dassault).

Overall, freedom of press is guaranteed by the French Constitution but several effective cases of censorship against newspapers (Le Canard enchaîné, Charlie Hebdo and Hara-Kiri newspapers, etc.), films, or radio-shows, have been registered in the history of the Fifth Republic, founded in 1958. According to Human Rights Watch, 6 percent of French people investigated for "apology for terrorism" are under the age of 14.^[4]

^ Loi n°70-1320 du 31 décembre 1970 relative aux mesures sanitaires de lutte contre la toxicomanie, et à la répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des substances vénéneuses
^ Public health code, L3421-4
^ "France's War on Anti-Abortion Speech". Wall Street Journal. 2016-12-01. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
^ Houry, Nadim (2018-05-30). "France's creeping terrorism laws restricting free speech". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2019-05-23.

[1] Loi n°70-1320 du 31 décembre 1970 relative aux mesures sanitaires de lutte contre la toxicomanie, et à la répression du trafic et de l'usage illicite des substances vénéneuses

[2] Public health code, L3421-4

[3] "France's War on Anti-Abortion Speech". Wall Street Journal. 2016-12-01. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2018-01-18.

[4] Houry, Nadim (2018-05-30). "France's creeping terrorism laws restricting free speech". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2019-05-23.

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