Police arrest ‘revolting Brussels Metro YouTube prankster’ YaNike
YaNike, the infamous Brussels-based YouTuber known for throwing buckets of excrement, oil and other filth over unsuspecting victims on the city’s Metro system,…
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
As Europeans are arrested for what they say, how ‘free’ is Europe’s speech?
While America and Europe are two parts of one West, they have always treated the idea of “rights” differently.
Singer suspended from Royal Swedish Opera over ‘pro-Russia’ comments
Opera singer Mattias Milder has been suspended from the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm following controversial "pro-Russia" comments on social media.
EU digital law ‘restricts freedom of expression’, says French whistleblowers’ group
The Association for the Support of Whistleblowers (ASLA) has accused European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) of "restricting freedom of expression under the…
Durov released on €5m bail as France charges Telegram boss
A French judge put Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday, August 28 in a probe into organized crime on the messaging app, but granted…
EU condemns Afghanistan after it forbids women from talking in public
The European Union has said it was "appalled" by the Taliban's announcement of severe limitations on women's freedom in Afghanistan.
Meta ‘arbitrarily’ suspends French right-wing accounts: Marion Maréchal
French politician Marion Maréchal has accused Meta of "arbitrarily "suspending right-wing accounts on Instagram.
Macron, Brussels deny involvement in Telegram CEO’s arrest
French President Emmanuel Macron has denied involvement in the arrest of the CEO of Telegram in his country, with officials from the European Commission having also…
Telegram dismisses allegations following CEO’s arrest
Messaging service Telegram has issued a statement denouncing the arrest of its CEO Pavel Durov by French authorities for alleged failures in content moderation.
Slovak ministers slam presence of children at ‘erotic aid’ play
A "perverse" play performed at a Slovakian festival has prompted government uproar, with many senior officials expressing fury at children being present at the show.
EU will ban X if Musk does not implement censorship, top Liberal MEP claims
“If Elon Musk does not comply with European rules on digital services, the EU Commission will ask continental operators to block X or, in the most extreme case,…
EC denies involvement in Breton’s threats against Musk
"The timing and the wording of the letter were neither co-ordinated nor agreed with the EC President [Ursula von der Leyen] nor with the college of the Commission.
Estonian journalist accused of treason over book ‘designed to divide society’
Estonian journalist Svetlana Burceva has been charged with treason after writing and publishing a book in Russia entitled 'Hybrid war for peace.
Oh, really? Starmer says online free speech causes riots
Last week, as much of the world now knows, three young girls were murdered and eight others were seriously injured in a knife attack at a children’s dance class…
EC and NGOs left smarting over attacks on Poland for jailing Russian spy
NGOs and the European Commission have egg on their faces after they lambasted Poland over the imprisonment of Pavel Rubtsov, a Russian spy who was part of the recent…
Conservative Dutch broadcaster ON suspends its own chief
Ongehoord Nederland (ON), a Conservative Dutch public broadcaster, has ousted its own president and founder, Arnold Karskens, citing serious complaints about his…
Turkey blocks public access to Instagram
Turkey has blocked access to social media platform Instagram.
Polish journalist who called Lennon song ‘Communist’ reinstated
Przemysław Babiarz, a Polish State television (TVP) journalist, will return to commentating on the Olympics after his suspension.
Patriots demand answers over ‘disgusting’ plan to censor Musk’s X
The Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament has demanded that the European Commission provide details of what it claimed was a "disgusting" plan to…
Meloni responds sharply to Von der Leyen on freedom of expression in Italy
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been quick to respond to the rule-of-law report published by the European Commission, which accused her of eroding freedom…
German State police set to reveal suspects’ nationalities
A new ruling means that police statements in the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia will soon have to reveal the nationality of suspects - regardless of whether…
Polish TV presenter suspended for describing Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ as ‘Communist’
Polish TVP presenter Przemysław Babiarz has been suspended after saying John Lennon’s song Imagine carried a “Communist” message.
German magazine Compact files lawsuit against government over ban
Controversial right-wing German magazine Compact a has filed a lawsuit with the country's Federal Administrative Court against a ban.
Weimers demands MEP Strik be punished for ‘racist’ jibe
"Her intervention is completely inexcusable.
German army recruits thousands of minors
In the past five years, the German army, the Bundeswehr, has recruited a total of 7,681 people younger than 18, which the hard-left Die Linke party described as…
US radio journalist jailed in Russia for ‘spreading false information’
A Russian court has sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), to six-and-a-half years in prison…
TikTok Lite ‘fails to protect users’, claims Mozilla and AI Forensics report
A report by the Mozilla Foundation and AI Forensics has pointed out what they said was a lack of security features in the version of social media giant TikTok Lite…
France rejects thousands of applications for Olympics jobs
France has rejected thousands of applications for Paris 2024 Olympic Games accreditations over security concerns including the presence of Russian journalists.
German citizen ‘sentenced to death in Belarus’
A German man, Rico Krieger, has been sentenced to death in Belarus. The 29-year-old is accused of crimes including terrorism and "mercenary activity".
Leading German journalist union says AfD should be shunned
The German Journalists' Association (DJV), one of Europe's largest journalists' organisations, has come out against the hard Right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)…