German State PM under fire for demanding crackdown on news sites and social media
Daniel Günther, the Conservative Prime Minster of the German State of Schleswig-Holstein, has come under fire for publicly embracing censorship of critical news…
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
German media faces political censorship under EU-driven legislation
German newsrooms and tech companies may soon face searches and material seizures without a judicial warrant under a new draft law approved by the federal cabinet.
Tusk government announces special units to combat ‘hate crimes’ in Poland
Poland’s justice minister Waldemar Żurek has announced the government will create special units of prosecutors around the country to deal with crimes “motivated…
Censorship: EU online regulation is not about protection, it is about narrative control
It has been a tumultuous end of the year for transatlantic relations.
Swiss journalist Roger Köppel facing EU sanctions over alleged pro-Russian narratives
Roger Köppel, the Swiss journalist and editor-in-chief of the weekly Die Weltwoche, could be added to a European Union sanctions list amid concerns that his reporting…
The EU Gulag, part II: Elections only stand if voters make the ‘right’ choice
The following are excerpts from a speech recently given by Seth Hertlein to the Patriots for Europe Foundation, Brussels.
Spotify says piracy activists hacked its music catalogue
Music streaming service Spotify said yesterday it had disabled accounts from a piracy activist hacker group that claimed to have "backed up" millions of Spotify's…
The EU Gulag, part I: Digital information, a most perfect method of control
The following are excerpts from a speech recently given by Seth Hertlein to the Patriots for Europe Foundation, Brussels.
Exclusive: Brothers of Italy seeks to bridge diverging US and EU interests
Despite speculation that Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- a politician with a famously close relationship with US President Trump -- is now adopting a more…
EU’s crackdown on X shows desperation not strength
The recent rabid, full-on attack on Elon Musk's X by the European Commission represents a new chapter in Brussels’ attempts to purge the public square of inconvenient…
Blasphemy law victim thanks God — and European Parliament — for release
Pakistani blasphemy law victim Shagufta Kausar thanked both God and the European parliament for her release from a Punjabi prison while in Brussels yesterday.
Attempt to censor a right-wing publisher sparks cultural firestorm in Italy
Italy has once again become the epicentre of a culture clash — this time over the attempted exclusion of a right-wing publisher with clear ties to the ruling party,…
Swiss man jailed for Facebook comment criticising trans ideology
A man from Switzerland has been handed a prison sentence for posting a comment on Facebook that supposedly denigrated trans people.
In Italy, UN envoy Albanese accused of justifying violence against journalists
In Italy, Francesca Albanese, the UN envoy responsible for the occupied Palestinian territories, is at the centre of a political firestorm.
German journalist claims ‘massive restriction of press freedom’ by hard-left at anti-AfD protests
Paul Ronzheimer, deputy editor-in-chief of Germany’s most-read newspaper Bild, has claimed a “massive restriction of press freedom” after left-wing protesters…
Pro-Palestinian Activists Raid La Stampa: Press Freedom Debate Erupts in Italy
A fierce debate over press freedom has erupted in Italy after the newsroom of La Stampa was raided, occupied, and vandalised by left-wing, pro-Palestinian activists.
What? I start with freedom for a Danish MP and end up with Chinese sex dolls
Freedom is never free. It is not free of cost, or of supervision, or of limits.
Polish journalist charged over reporting Warsaw demonstration
A Polish journalist was charged with disturbing the peace at a Warsaw demonstration he was covering as a reporter, asking questions of participants at the gathering.
Imam’s deportation highlights Italian crackdown on Gaza protests
The deportation of an Imam from Turin, Italy has spurred demonstrations from pro-Palestinian activists, left-wing movements and immigrant communities amid a growing…
Polish court convicts protester for ‘insulting’ PM Tusk’s office
A man has been convicted in a Polish court of insulting the office of Prime Minister, held by Donald Tusk.
EU ‘disregards censorship concerns’ in review of online policing law
European regulators are facing criticism for sidelining concerns about censorship and free speech in their ongoing review of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
‘Rising suppression of Christian religious expression’ across Europe, says report
Christians in Europe are seeing their "religious expression suppressed" through an expanding web of legal action and growing public intolerance.
Pas drôle du tout: Minister files complaint against comedian for joke about police
The French interior minister Laurent Nunez has filed a complaint against satirist and humourist Pierre-Emmanuel Barré for joking about the police on a radio show.
Germany: Crimes of opinion now a ‘mass phenomenon’
German police have raided the home of a man in the south of the country after he referred to public servants as “parasites” in a post on X.
Irish media regulator targets X on suspicion of EU rule violations
Ireland's media regulator said it was investigating Elon Musk's social network X on suspicion of violating European Union rules by failing to let users appeal its…
Berlin university cancels talk by Hamas massacre survivor over ‘security concerns’
A university in Germany has abruptly cancelled an event with an Israeli survivor of a Hamas massacre in 2023, saying the safety of the participants could not be…
UPDATED: German court rules State may not deny ‘right-wing extremist’ internship for law career
***Updated with reaction from John Hoewer***
Polish court fines journalists for using quotes emailed by State media official
A Polish court has fined two journalists from one of Poland’s largest online news outlets for publishing statements sent to them by email from a public media…
‘Regulatory imperialism’: US pushback against EU tech laws finds backing in Brussels
US Congressman Jim Jordan’s probe into OpenAI’s communication with foreign administrations, including the European Union, has been backed in Brussels.
German policeman disciplined for ‘anti-Greens’ sticker on his own phone
A police officer from Heilbronn, a city in southern Germany, has been officially reprimanded for putting a sticker on his private mobile phone.