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.
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
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)…
IN DEPTH: Trump VP pick Vance holds hawkish stance on Europe
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's candidate for Vice President, Senator JD Vance, has a hawkish history of dealing with the European Union, frequently criticising…
Nine out of 10 EU Jews experience anti-Semitism, says EU study
Nine out of ten Jews in the European Union have experienced anti-Semitism and most worry for their own safety, according to a new study.
Police open hundreds of hate-speech investigations over German ‘meme anthem’
German police forces have launched more than 360 investigations into instances of suspected hate-speech over the playing or singing of a German meme "anthem".
Italy and Greece go after free speech: authorities prosecute dissidents
A few months ago Brussels Signal warned that the freedom of speech and expression in the European Union would be endangered by the European Parliament’s resolution…
Allegations of priest’s torture in custody outrage Poland
The priest claims he had been denied food for almost 60 hours, was forced to beg for water, and was ordered to urinate in a bottle when he requested to use the toilet.
Slovakia to restrict right to assembly in response to Fico assassination attempt
The Slovak parliament on June 27 approved a so-called “Lex Assassination”, a package of measures designed to improve security following the assassination attempt…
Russia bans distribution of dozens of EU news outlets in retaliatory step
Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was banning access inside Russia to the broadcasts of dozens of European Union media outlets in what it said was…
Slovak opposition boycotts vote that sees public broadcaster shut down
The Slovak opposition walked out of the parliament chamber en masse before a vote was taken to abolish Rozhlas a televíža Slovenska (RTVS) and replace it with…
EU ‘chat-control’ plan goes back to drawing board
A controversial bill giving the European Union digital powers including the ability to look into citizens’ private online chats will not now be voted on.
Brussels city decision to cancel Belgium-Israel football match sparks controversy
Brussels's local government will not host an upcoming international football match between Belgium and Israel.
German fined €6,000 for ‘violating honour’ of Greens politicians
A German man has been fined €6,000 for insulting The Greens party politicians in his home country.
EU could use Euro 2024 football contest to implement online spying rules, MEP warns
The European Union could use the cover of the Euro 2024 football tournament to force through a suite of online spying rules, an MEP has warned.