Paris: Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has criticized France, stating that it is not a free country and accusing it of being the only nation that "criminally persecutes all social networks that give people some degree of freedom."

According to Anadolu Agency, Durov's comments came in response to reports of French police raiding the Paris offices of the social media platform X. Durov expressed his concerns on X, stating, "Don't be mistaken: this is not a free country." He has previously accused the French government of attempting to suppress online dissent, alleging that President Emmanuel Macron aims to transform the European Union into a "digital Gulag."

Durov further claimed that Macron believes Europeans are "completely wrong to use social networks for information" and should instead rely on journalists and established media outlets. The recent police raid, conducted by French cybercrime specialists, is linked to an investigation into the content recommended by X's algorithm and its controversial AI chatbot, Grok.

The investigation, which intensified on Tuesday, includes allegations of complicity in distributing pornographic images of minors and disseminating Holocaust denial content through Grok. Despite these developments, Durov remains under judicial supervision in France following his 2024 arrest, though his travel ban was reportedly lifted in November 2025.