The Russian Foreign Ministry called the French ambassador's words about freedom of speech Paris' own goal

Paris' approach to freedom of speech has become a persistent practice of double standards. Thus, the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the statement by French Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere on freedom of speech in the republic after an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The ambassador stated that "France is extremely committed to freedom of the press and the media."

"We cannot ignore the "self-goal" of the French Ambassador to Russia, Nicolas de Riviere, which he noted during a recent interview ... <... It is obvious that in France, the selective approach to freedom of speech has already become a sustainable practice. When it comes to Russian journalists, the vaunted French "universal values" suddenly take on very specific forms of repression," the agency said in a Telegram channel post.

The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that the idea of labeling media outlets by their degree of trustworthiness was put forward in France, and Paris refuses to issue visas to Russian diplomats, violating its obligations as the host of the headquarters.

On April 24, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced the harassment of French journalists after an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. According to her, the French television reporters who interviewed Lavrov, instead of a well-deserved prize and recognition for their actions in the interests of freedom of speech in Europe, "will receive punches" and will be subject to harassment.

On February 26, the French media regulator Arcom demanded that Internet service providers block the websites of 35 Russian media outlets that are under EU sanctions. It was clarified that the media regulator also demanded that four streaming platforms providing access to Russian television and radio broadcasting services be removed from the search results.

The Russian Embassy in Paris, in turn, condemned the blocking of Russian media websites. According to the diplomatic mission, such a measure is political in nature and will deprive the French of the right to choose sources of information.