Trump Admin Serious About Combatting Global Censorship One of those fundamental American principles is free speech, and the Trump administration is making sure that the world sees America vigorously fighting for it. This new posture of strongly proclaiming the American value of free speech on the global stage had its biggest demonstration yet for the new administration last week. On Friday, Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference. Rather than focusing on external global threats from Russia and China – as important and real as they are – Vance turned his attention to a major worrisome trend in Europe: the rise of aggressive censorship. Vance lamented the “retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.” For Americans, censorship is itself an attack on democracy. As the Vice President stated, “Dismissing people, dismissing their concerns, or worse yet, shutting down media, shutting down elections, or shutting people out of the political process protects nothing. In fact, it is the most surefire way to destroy democracy.” Free speech is not supposed to just be an American value but a universally shared fundamental right, protected in international treaties and charters enthusiastically signed onto by European allies. Vance highlighted one example in particular of the attack on freedom of expression, that of British Army veteran and ADF International client Adam Smith-Connor. Smith-Connor was charged in November 2022 for violating a “buffer zone” outside an abortion clinic in the UK when he had silently prayed outside of it. This past October, Smith-Connor was criminally convicted for his three minutes of silent prayer. Smith-Connor’s appeal will be heard in July. But that is just one example of what has become increasingly systematic attempts in Europe at ever larger scales to censor and control public discourse to exclude “wrong” opinions. Other cases abound, like that of Päivi Räsänen, the Finnish member of Parliament who has been hounded on “hate speech” criminal charges now for almost four years and investigations for even longer because she posted a picture of a Bible verse on then-Twitter. But on a broader level, Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) would make every European social media user subject to the censorship regime and potentially export that censorship throughout the world, including America. The DSA imposes enormous penalties on large social media companies that do not comply with orders to censor so-called “illegal content,” broadly defined as anything that is illegal under EU or national law. Notably, this can include vague and subjective terms like “hate speech,” “misinformation,” and “disinformation,” which are readily weaponized against disfavored religious views, as the stories above show.
Zero Hedge. The Russian propaganda outlet. LOL The Trump administration is only interested in promoting hate speech and allowing speech which supports Trump, Putin and other dictators. All others they will actively censor.
Pointing out the truth isn't hate. Speech restrictions in countries like Canada specifically exclude the truth as a defense. It's Orwellian. There's no sign that Trump is trying to deny any form of free speech.
That comes later. You don't just censor free speech. You kick off by encouraging support of regimes that are polar opposite of the US constitution. One which has already censored the entire population, not to mention keen on massacring another.
Democrat did. They have been doing it for years. Dem voters have been demanding censorship of conservatives for years. @gwb-trading If I remember correctly, dems were talking about shutting down Fox News because it was so dangerous. Do all of you liberals somehow forgot about all of the US gov censorship under Biden? Conservatives were aggressively censored for years. Until Elon bought X and changed the course, conservatives really couldn't say anything online. We were getting banned on all social platforms, deplatformed, and debanked.
Sure. But putting aside democrat/repub divisions, doesn't this ever so slightly concern you? Support of murderous dictator who abhors free speech? Slander of an wartime leader who's only crime is defending his country against an invasion? If that doesn't ring some alarm bells I don't know what would. Trump has been right on a lot of things - DEI, manufacturing base, Europeans slackness in NATO commitments et al. But on this. My God.
Yes, I am pro free speech. I DO NOT want the US to become authoritarian regimes like in the EU. Who are you referring to? - Castro (libs love this guy and his father) - XI (Biden highly praised XI) - Rouhani (Obama and Biden are both huge fans.) - Mugabe - Biya - Putin - Maduro But on what? You think that it is wrong for Trump to advocate for free speech worldwide?