No, France is not limiting people's travel

By: Ankita Kulkarni
July 12 2023

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Context

A video posted on Facebook claims that a new climate change rule in France restricts people's travel by controlling how far they can fly and the number of vacations they can have. The speaker in the video claims that France has introduced the “most wacky climate change rules ever,” and that they are limiting the number of vacations and how far people can fly. “You cannot drive, fly or use a boat, they are limiting it now. This is because they are able to control the citizens, the people of France, they’re launching their CBDC (central bank digital currency) immediately," Briggs alleges in the video, adding that governments are trying to control citizens and their health, money, and transportation.

However, the claims are incorrect and a part of conspiracy theories.

In Fact

Research showed us that France recently banned domestic short-haul flights between cities where a train ride can replace the journey with a travel time under two-and-a-half hours. This law is not limiting people's travel or how far they can fly; the measure is only implemented to reduce carbon emissions and encourage people to take trains. People can still travel to any place they wish to without restrictions from trains or roads.

BBC News reported that the law has banned all short-haul flights, including air travel from Paris to Bordeaux, Lyon, and Nantes. Another report by France 24 states that there is no limit on air travel and it is available in places where train services are not readily available.

According to Légifrance, the French government’s official website for legislation, the ban on domestic air flights applies only when railway transportation provides satisfactory alternative service. It does not mean that the government is restricting the "number of vacations that people can take."

The viral video also alleges that the government can restrict people's travel immediately when they go above the limit by controlling their CBDC. Central banks around the world have been exploring the viability of creating their own CBDCs.

France is also creating its own CBDC and, according to a speech made by the Bank of France Governor, François Villeroy de Galhau, on July 2022, after a two-year investigation phase on the issuance of a digital euro, the decision about whether to go further could be taken by the end of 2023 or early 2024. This means that the CBDC is not yet operational in the country, which shows that the video in question is based on assumptions with links to conspiracy theories.   

The claim that governments are trying to control people through different measures is a part of conspiracy theories like the New World Order and the Great Reset, which claim that governments are planning to drag humans into totalitarian dystopia. Logically Facts has previously debunked several such narratives.

The Verdict

France is not restricting or limiting people traveling in any way. Claims as such are a part of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.