Polish state TV bans photos of its buildings
Poland’s government-controlled broadcaster TVP (Telewizja Polska) has placed new notices warning photographers they may not photograph the corporation’s headquarters…
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
Statue of Venus removed from Berlin government office after ‘sexism’ complaint by Equal Opportunities Commissioner
An historic sculpture of the Venus de' Medici has been removed from a Berlin government building at the request of equal opportunities officers who argued its presence…
Road safety before religion: German court forbids woman to drive car wearing a Niqab
A German court has ruled that it is illegal to drive while wearing a niqab–a Muslim headgear covering most of the wearer’s face.
Hate speech or free speech? How rapper Ye’s ‘Heil Hitler’ exposes Big Tech dilemma
Controversial rap artist Ye’s latest track, Heil Hitler, was promptly banned from Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube upon its May 8 release but in just 24 hours…
German public broadcaster under fire for leaking right-wing YouTuber’s identity
Germany's state TV station ZDF has come in for criticism after one of its hosts leaked the identity of a prominent anonymous YouTube personality on air.
Cocaine claims are ‘Fake news by enemies’, blasts an angry Paris
A viral video accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of hiding a cocaine pouch during a visit to Ukraine was "fake news being spread by France’s enemies", said…
Prosecutors pursue Polish football fans over banner mocking PM Tusk’s presidential candidate
Poland’s public prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into banners put up in April by Legia Warsaw football fans during a home game.
Thousands sign petition for women-only compartments on Berlin metro
A petition for compartments for women only on Berlin’s public transport network has received more than 15,000 signatures in just nine days.
Dutch authorities arrest 14 for alleged incitement to terrorism via TikTok
Dutch authorities have carried out a series of co-ordinated raids across the Netherlands resulting in the arrest of 14 individuals suspected of alleged incitement…
Polish President blocks Tusk government’s hate speech legislation bill
Polish President Andrzej Duda has refused to sign into law a government bill on hate speech from the centre-left coalition government led by Prime Minister Donald…
Google’s policy ‘gags’ news outlets, says European press group
European press publishers have accused Google of systematically reducing traffic to media websites and called on the European Commission to take urgent action.
UK’s Supreme Court rules: ‘Woman refers to biological sex under equality laws’
The UK's top court has upheld an appeal by a campaign group on whether transgender women were legally women under equality legislation, ruling that the law referred…
Polish court cancels licences of two independent conservative broadcasters
A Warsaw court has revoked the licences of two independent conservative television channels, TV Republika and wPolsce24.
“Dictatorship”: German court sentences journalist for posting meme mocking minister
A German journalist has been handed a seven-month suspended prison sentence from a judge in Bamberg, Bavaria, for posting a meme mocking federal interior minister…
French court rules against ad ban on National Rally leader Bardella’s book
A French court has ruled against the advertising arm of France's national rail network SNCF after it banned posters promoting the autobiography of National Rally…
Polish PM Tusk’s clampdown on hate crimes to ‘include memes’
The Polish justice ministry has published guidelines on hate-motivated crimes recommending close examination of online activity, including visual content such as…
Vox spokesperson charged with hate speech for naming crime suspects
José Antonio Fúster, official spokesman of the Spanish right-wing Vox Party and deputy in the Madrid Assembly, is being investigated by the Catalan police force…
Swedish journalist jailed in Istanbul amid protests at city Mayor’s incarceration
Swedish journalist Kaj Joakim Medin, who was in Turkey to cover protests against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest, has been jailed pending trial on terrorism…
AFP journalist jailed as protests against Istanbul Mayor’s incarceration hit sixth day
A Turkish court has detained Agence France-Presse (AFP) photojournalist Yasin Akgul as part of an investigation into protests over the jailing of Istanbul's Mayor…
Anti-abortion protest in Poland shut down because of picture of a foetus
A Polish court has upheld a decision by the Mayor of Toruń to stop an anti-abortion protest over the display of a picture of a foetus.
Telegram founder Durov allowed to temporarily leave France
Pavel Durov, the owner of social media platform Telegram, has been allowed to temporarily leave France where he has been charged over alleged failures in content…
Romania targets ‘illegal online content’ ahead of re-run elections
The Romanian Government has stated it will step up its efforts to "combat illegal content online".
French TV host sues left-wing LFI party over alleged anti-Semitic poster of him
French right-wing host Cyril Hanouna has announced he would sue left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) over an alleged anti-Semitic poster of him used to advertise…
Dutch newspaper to appeal against judge’s editorial ruling
De Telegraaf, the Netherlands’ largest newspaper, has announced it would appeal a controversial ruling from a judge who ordered it to clarify a comment piece about…
Judge becomes editor in Dutch newspaper Hamas controversy
A Dutch judge has ruled that De Telegraaf, the Netherlands' largest newspaper, must add a clarification to a comment piece about Hamas to prevent readers from misinterpreting…
What happened when police questioned me for an alleged speech crime
A recent article by Carl Deconinck in Brussels Signal found French President Emmanuel Macron ordering the surveillance of libertarians, those of us sometimes called…
Head of new Polish media centre admits it is a ‘government mouthpiece’
Michał Broniatowski, the director of Poland's new Foreign Language Media Centre created by public broadcaster TVP, has admitted it was designed to promote the government's…
French Government puts pro-Milei libertarians under surveillance
Influential libertarian accounts on social media in France are under government surveillance, it has been revealed.
Polish Supreme Court rules IKEA wrong to fire worker for expressing Christian views
The Polish Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by the Swedish furniture giant IKEA filed in the case of Janusz Komenda, an employee the company fired for criticising…
TikTok influencer ‘Zazouyoucef’ sentenced to 18 months in French jail
An Algerian influencer known as "Zazouyoucef" on social media has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for "direct provocation to an act of terrorism", following…