Telegram founder Pavel Durov has publicly refused to comply with a request from unnamed government officials in a European country, which he identified with a baguette emoji, alluding to France. The authorities demanded that the activities of Romanian conservative Telegram channels be restricted ahead of the presidential elections in Romania, which took place on May 18, 2025. Durov announced this on his Telegram channel, emphasizing his commitment to the principles of freedom of speech.

"I categorically refused. Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels. You cannot "defend democracy" by destroying democracy. You cannot "fight election interference" by interfering in elections yourself. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections or you don't. And the Romanian people deserve both," — Durov wrote.

His words were a response to the authorities' attempt to influence the information space of Romania before the elections, where the main battle unfolded between the candidate of the National Unity Party (PNU), Calin Gheorghiu, and the representative of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Marcel Ciolacu.

According to the Romanian newspaper Adevărul, the 2025 elections were accompanied by a heated political struggle, in which conservative forces supporting Gheorghiu actively used Telegram to mobilize supporters. Channels such as “Patria Română” and “AUR Oficial” spread calls to fight the “European dictate” and criticized the liberal reforms of the PSD. These platforms, according to Digi24, attracted tens of thousands of subscribers, which caused concern among European observers monitoring the elections.

While Durov did not specify which government had made the request, the baguette emoji points to France, which has previously criticized Telegram for its lack of content moderation. In August 2024, French authorities detained Durov at Le Bourget airport on charges of facilitating the dissemination of extremist material, but he was released on bail three days later.