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.
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
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.
High-school student indicted for posting meme mocking military officer
A German high-school student is facing court proceedings for publishing several satirical images mocking a German military officer.
Left-wing MPs sued for alleging French police ‘kill’
French interior minister and former Paris Police Prefect Laurent Nunez has filed a defamation lawsuit against four members of the hard-left, accusing them of falsely…
German right-wing activist applies for political asylum in the US
Naomi Seibt, a prominent right-wing influencer from Germany, has announced she is requesting asylum in the US over political persecution in her home country.
Finland’s Supreme Court to rule on landmark ‘Bible hate speech’ case
Finland's Supreme Court is set to give its final ruling in the high-profile free speech case involving former interior minister and Christian Democrat MP Päivi…
European Commission denies Digital Services Act is behind Linkedin censorship
LinkedIn’s controversial decision to remove accurate Covid-19 content and suspend related user accounts was not based on the Digital Services Act (DSA) but on…
France: Court overturns Marseille mayor’s cancellation of Christian film
A decision to cancel the screenings of the Christian film Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart) at a public venue has been overturned.
French mayor cancels screening of Christian film citing ‘disrespect of secularism’
The French Mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, has cancelled the screening of the Christian movie Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart) from a public-owned venue, arguing it…
Berlin police raid prominent writer’s home over old post mocking ‘wokeness’
Berlin police have raided the home of Norbert Bolz, a prominent right-wing writer and pundit, regarding a post he made on social media network X almost two years…
LinkedIn given green light to delete accurate content
A Berlin court has ruled that LinkedIn was right to block and suspend accounts that posted about Covid-19, despite the posts being correct.
French Imam says commemoration of beheaded teacher Paty pains Muslims
On the fifth anniversary of the brutal beheading of history teacher Samuel Paty by a radical Islamist, Abdelali Mamoun, Imam at the historic Grande Mosquée de Paris,…
Outrage as bomb destroys Italian investigative journalist’s car
A prominent Italian journalist threatened by the mafia had his parked car blown up by a bomb overnight, causing no injuries but sparking widespread outrage today…
France charges four over plot against Russia dissident
France has charged four people over a suspected plot against a Russian dissident, prosecutors said Friday, after a refugee who helped reveal abuses in Russian prisons…
Norwegian Church says ‘sorry’ to LGBT community for ‘shame’ it caused
The Lutheran Church of Norway has formally apologised to the country’s LGBTQ community for the discrimination and harassment it subjected them to in the past.
Rumble wins court case against French Government and regains access to France
Video-sharing platform Rumble announced it will restore full access to its services in France after a victory in a French court.
Sexism row erupts over statue celebrating Polish nurses
A statue of a nurse placed outside of a hospital in Zielona Góra, southwestern Poland, has been slammed by medical professionals for being sexist.
EU’s ‘chat control’ vote scrapped amid continuing opposition
A planned vote on the EU's controversial chat control law by home affairs ministers has been scrapped.
Mum indicted for use of old Polish term for ‘black’ person
A young mother who participated in a protest against illegal migration has been indicted for using the word "murzyn", a traditional Polish term for a black person,…
Free speech advocates call for review of ‘censorious’ EU Digital Services Act
A large number of academics, politicians and journalists are urging the European Commission to better protect free speech and change course with the Digital Services…
Germany’s Christian Democrats say ‘Nein’ to chat control
Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has come out against the European Union's attempt to break end-to-end encryption via its proposed "chat control"…
EU clamps down on ‘hate speech’ in LGBTIQ+ strategy
Brussels is planning to expand its hate speech policies, threatening to criminalise those who do not agree with what the European Union calls its "founding values".
German Child Protection Association comes out against EU digital chat control
The German Child Protection Association has come out against the EU's attempt to break end-to-end encryption via the 'chat control' law.
Ex-German chancellor Merkel calls AfD ‘inhuman’ party, wants more speech regulation on internet
Former German chancellor Angela Merkel has gone after the Alternative for Germany (AfD), branding it a menschenverachtende – or “inhuman” – party, while…