Greek rail drivers strike over safety concerns
Greek rail drivers on June 17 held a 24-hour strike to demand sweeping safety improvements, ahead of a parliamentary vote on investigating top officials for the…
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
‘Masculinist influencer’ taunts French minister after TikTok ban lifted
French influencer Alex Hitchens, known for his controversial masculinist views, has returned to TikTok after a brief ban that followed his appearance before the…
Interrogation, arrest, prosecution: Free speech does not exist in Europe
On June 5 in Brussels, a duo were arrested for disturbing the peace. The pair, a man and a woman, were not assaulting anyone, nor were they threatening anyone.
French journalists’ group demands commentator’s dismissal over ‘hateful remarks’
The French Society of Journalists (SDJ) representing members at TV news channels BFM and RMC has called for the dismissal of the commentator Barbara Lefebvre over…
At least 10 people die in shooting spree at Austrian school
A shooting spree at a secondary school in Graz, Austria’s second city, has left at least 10 people dead and 28 injured, some of whom were in critical condition.
France sees spike in VPN demand after withdrawal of major porn sites
Several VPN providers have reported a notable increase in user demand following the recent withdrawal of several pornographic websites in France, including Pornhub…
German YouTuber fined €16,000 for alleged use of Nazi phrase
Tim Heldt, a popular German YouTuber posting under the synonym Kuchen TV, has been ordered to pay a fine of €16,000 by authorities in Oldenburg (Lower Saxony)…
Billboard Chris arrested in Brussels for wanting to talk about gender ideology
Chris Elston, aka Billboard Chris, who advocated for child protection against "gender ideology", has been arrested in the centre of Brussels for not removing a sign…
‘Freedom under attack in the US,’ claims German minister
There was a growing risk of a global culture war amid rising anti-freedom tendencies among world powers, warned Wolfram Weimer, Germany's Minister of State for Culture,…
EU ‘Patriots’ rally around Orbán in Budapest
Trumpism appears to have crossed the Atlantic and raised spirits in Europe's nationalist camp, to judge by speakers at the opening day of the CPAC conference in…
Meta shuts out identitarians and nationalists across Europe
Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, has closed down pages from identitarians and nationalists across Europe.
How calling a German finance minister a ‘moron’ leads to cops and criminal charges
Stefan Niehoff, a 64-year-old retiree and former sergeant in the Bundeswehr, became something of an overnight sensation in Germany last year after police showed…
MEPs and experts call for Commission to tackle DSA’s free speech concerns
Cross-party members of the European Parliament and free speech advocates gathered in the European Parliament May 21 to urge the European Commission to review the…
EU spends more on policing speech than transnational cancer research
The EU has given €650 million to projects combating so-called 'hate speech' and 'disinformation', one third more than it has given to transnational cancer research…
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…
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…