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…
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Society
Latest reporting and analysis on society.
Austria announces “immediate halt” of family reunification for asylum seekers
Austria’s incoming government has announced a stop to all family reunification procedures for asylum seekers effective immediately.
German NGOs urge incoming government to get tough on social media platforms
More than 75 German non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions and church representatives have sent an open letter to the country’s expected future government…
Leaked documents: ‘Italians torpedo EC’s plans to implement EU-wide nutrition labelling’
The European Commission has reportedly abandoned its years-long attempts to set up the mandatory Nutri-Score across 27 member states, it has been reported.
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.
French MEP Hassan could lose citizenship if found guilty of Hamas ‘apology for terrorism’
French Minister Delegate François-Noël Buffet says he does not rule out removing French nationality from MEP Rima Hassan of La France Insoumise (LFI) if she were…
Slovak PM Fico: ‘EU’s democratic system is broken and Romania proves it’
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticised the European Union, arguing that democracy in the bloc was no longer functioning properly.
Germany’s SPD threatens to derail coalition talks over ‘political neutrality’ inquiry
German progressives have been outraged by a requested inquiry into the political neutrality of State-funded organisations, with the Social Democratic Party (SPD)…
Berlin NGOs sue Musk’s X over German election data access
Two Berlin-based NGOs, Democracy Reporting International (DRI) and the Society for Civil Rights (GFF), have sued Elon Musk’s X under the European Union's Digital…
Facebook owner Meta targeted by European online rights activists Ekō
European online rights activist group Ekō has filed complaints with data protection authorities in several European countries about Facebook owner Meta's targeted…
Outrage over Bavaria’s ‘secret list of 200 clearly Nazi-looted artworks’
Bavaria's State Painting Collections has kept an internal list of 200 artworks in its possession that it "clearly" believed were Nazi-looted works, German media…
Democracy in Romania: dissent against the EU is no longer tolerated
If you ever needed proof that democracy in the European Union is now little more than a stage play, Romania has just provided it. The protagonist? Călin Georgescu.
German Government launches initiative to target ‘conspiracy thinking’
The German Government has set up a new advisory office aimed at supporting those affected by conspiracy narratives, misinformation and disinformation.
Hungarian Government plans constitutional change to end Pride march
Hungary said it would amend the Constitution soon to emphasise child protection, a move that paved the way for a ban on the annual Pride march by LGBTQ+ communities,…
Greek inquiry finds gaps in rail safety, two years after deadly crash
Greece's worst rail disaster in 2023 was due to chronic safety gaps that still need to be addressed to prevent a repeat, Greek investigators said on February 27.
French PM Bayrou threatens to ‘end’ immigration deal with Algeria
French Prime Minister François Bayrou has announced that France will push for a "complete review" of the 1968 agreement with Algeria, a deal that granted Algerians…
EC pushes ‘critical thinking’ courses for ‘first-time voters’ to tackle disinformation
The European Commission is pushing for media literacy across the bloc via courses in "critical thinking and politics" aimed at secondary school students, or what…
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…
Ketamine use in Belgium sees 11-fold Increase, study finds
Belgium’s wastewater has revealed a rise in illicit ketamine use, with levels now up to 11 times higher than a decade ago, a new report has found.
EC’s new ‘Democracy Shield’ revealed to have ties to Soros
The European Democracy Shield (EUDS), the European Commission's latest initiative to "promote democracy", has strong ties to US left-wing billionaire George Soros,…
French news outlet Le Point takes on Wikipedia over alleged ‘left-wing smear campaign’
The French news outlet Le Point has launched a legal offensive against Wikipedia, accusing the online encyclopedia of a “meticulously co-ordinated” smear campaign…
Brussels Signal interview: Trump ex-senior adviser Murtaugh slams ‘global censorship’
Tim Murtaugh, a former senior adviser to US President Donald Trump and PR firm CEO has defended "absolute free speech" in a Brussels Signal interview.
Right-leaning cardinals frontrunners as Pope Francis’ successor
As Pope Francis remained hospitalised with double pneumonia, the Vatican has started preparations for his possibly imminent funeral.
France’s top court ends popular right-wing TV show and host channel
It has been revealed that one of France’s most-watched right-wing TV shows, Touche pas a mon poste, will be officially taken off air.
China’s planned UK ‘mega-embassy’ poses ‘significant security concerns’, warns US
China's proposed new "mega-embassy" in central London posed "significant security concerns" to the UK's financial services sector, a US Congressional China committee…
Seven in 10 French citizens want immigration referendum, poll finds
The push for a referendum on immigration in France has gained momentum, with 68 per cent of the public now said to be in favour of putting the issue to a vote.
US think-tank slams Poland’s Tusk over ‘abuse of democracy’
A report by US think-tank Hudson Institute has criticised Poland’s centre-left government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk for governing in an autocratic manner.
CBS show highlights German crackdown on free speech, spurs widespread outrage
A documentary aired by US television station CBS has apparently revealed how Germany criminalised freedom of opinion, causing shock worldwide.