Pavel Durov Warns France of Collapse Amid Censorship

- Durov warns French censorship, policies risk societal collapse. - Talent drain from France to Dubai attributed to these policies. On June 18, 2025, Cointelegraph reported on a stark warning from Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. These statements concerned France's potential societal collapse, which Durov attributed to the country's censorship and regulatory policies. He made these statements during an interview with the French publication Le Point; according to Le Point, the interview was published on June 18. Durov expressed his disappointment with French President Emmanuel Macron's choices. On June 18, during his interview with Le Point, Telegram founder Pavel Durov stated, “France is getting weaker and weaker.” He believes that if society raises generations with a certain mindset, it takes decades to change this. Also during the June 18 Le Point interview, Durov added that delaying necessary reforms increases the risk of “very extreme changes” or “a collapse.” Additionally, Durov highlighted that these policies cause France to lose talent to other places like Dubai. Durov made these remarks as part of a broader media campaign, which follows his arrest in France in August 2024. His arrest drew condemnation from the crypto community and civil rights activists, and these groups are now monitoring the case for its implications on free speech. During the June 18 Le Point interview, Durov also claimed French intelligence services asked him to censor pro-conservative Telegram content related to the May 2025 Romanian presidential election. He specifically mentioned Nicolas Lerner, the head of French intelligence, in connection with this request, and Durov stated he refused this request. Furthermore, he criticized laws like the European Union’s Digital Services Act. On June 18, during his interview with Le Point, Telegram founder Pavel Durov described these laws as potential “trojan horses for censorship,” disguised as consumer protection or anti-misinformation measures. Durov warned that such laws could eventually turn against their own creators. On June 19, 2025, CoinMarketCap reported that as of 12:00 UTC, Ethereum (ETH) was trading at $2,850, with a 1.7% increase in 24-hour trading volume.