Sacré bleu: ‘No English in adverts!’ demand defenders of the French language
A campaign is underway in France against the use of English in advertisements.
Free speech
Latest reporting and analysis on free speech.
European Socialists are ‘cowards’
European Socialists are cowards, former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told a Brussels soirée last week.
Facial recognition technology now available to Western states could make China look like amateurs in mass surveillance
For me, the moment the surveillance society really began to hit home was as far back as 2010, when primary schools in the UK started fingerprinting their pupils…
EU Media Freedom Act ‘violates founding treaty’, Polish MEP claims
"The European Media Freedom Act tries to bring in provisions that violate the Treaties," Elżbieta Kruk told Parliament.
EU mulls censorship protection for approved media outlets
The European Union is considering giving certain forms of online censorship protection to media outlets it approves of.
‘1984 was not a manual, it was a warning!’ Pirate MEP berates EU social media censorship bid
In an interview with Brussels Signal, Mikuláš Peksa, one of the EU's leading Pirate Party politicians, warned that the bloc was heading in an increasingly authoritarian,…
EU calls on Bosnian-Serb Parliament to drop law proposing labelling of NGOs as ‘foreign agents’
The European Union is urging the Serb-controlled part of Bosnia-Herzegovina to withdraw proposed legislation that brands non-profit organisations (NGOs) funded from…
Irish Government’s anti-racism pledge could ‘undermine academic freedom’
An Irish Government's anti-racism pledge for universities runs the risk of endangering academic freedom, a lecturer has warned.
Dora Moutot: French journalist and activist discusses the violent state of France, the laziness of French media and the spread of self-censorship
Dora Moutot has been a journalist since 2012.
Musk lashes out amid accusation X supports EU state censorship
US tech billionaire Elon Musk has lashed out online amid criticism of his X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
Schools in Belgium torched after sex-education lessons introduced
Five schools have been set on fire in Belgium amid anger over newly implemented relational, emotional and sex education for children.
German journalist says he will stop criticising Islam after spate of threats
A high-profile journalist in Germany has announced that he no longer intends to discuss or criticise Islam after a recent spate of threats levelled against him.
Ability to shut down undesirable social media is ‘proportionate’, EC insists
The European Union's power to unilaterally shut down certain social media websites deemed problematic is "proportionate", the European Commission has insisted.
Sweden Democrats MEP invites Iranian artist to Brussels after exhibition ban U-turn
Sweden Democrats MEP Charlie Weimers has invited the Iranian artist Sadaf Ahmadi to the European Parliament after the Swedish city of Borås cancelled her exhibition,…
European Parliament to debate ‘controversial’ kiss in Women’s World Cup
The European Parliament has added the “controversial” kiss at the FIFA Women's Football World Cup Final on August 20 to its list of items to be debated at Strasbourg's…
Islamic institutions in Belgium oppose sex-education programme in schools
With the new school year back in full swing, all students in the French-speaking community in Belgium will now regularly receive relational, emotional and sex education.
Riots erupt in Sweden’s third-largest city after another Quran burning
Rioting has erupted in the Swedish city of Malmö after Iraqi migrant Salwan Momika once again publicly torched a copy of the Quran.
Ireland says free speech must be balanced with right ‘not to be misinformed’
Citizens’ rights to free speech must be balanced with their alleged right "not to be misinformed", a senior member of the Irish judiciary has said.
Polish journalist ‘denied life-saving medication’ in Belarusian jail
Andrzej Poczobut, a journalist for Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza and a Polish minority activist, is being denied life-saving heart medication in a Belarusian prison,…
Irish PM berates ‘showboating’ Elon Musk as online censorship row intensifies
Ireland's Prime Minister has accused US billionaire and owner of Twitter, now X, Elon Musk of "showboating" with his threats to challenge the country's coming anti-hate-speech…
X to launch legal challenge against Irish anti-hate-speech laws, Musk says
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, will launch a legal challenge against forthcoming anti-hate-speech laws in Ireland, its US billionaire owner…
Controversial French rapper Médine no longer welcome at Belgian festival
While the controversial rapper Médine is set to appear at a meeting of the French Greens party, a Belgian festival has cancelled his show over the weekend of August…
Facebook and Instagram announce changes over EU censorship legislation
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has announced changes to its social media platforms in response to new European Union censorship laws coming into force.
Meta’s fact-checkers caught interfering in Australian referendum
Facebook’s parent company Meta blocked and deplatformed a number of people in Australia by using false fact-checks - in violation of its own code of principles.
Discord in Italy’s government after General replaced over controversial book
There is discord in Italy's centre-right government coalition after a leading Italian army general was replaced in his role for publishing a controversial book.
Twitter allegedly ‘shadow-bans’ Belgian party leader ahead of new EU digital law
Elon Musk's Twitter, now X, has been accused of limiting the visibility of a Twitter account, known as "shadow banning", belonging to Tom Van Grieken, the leader…
Anti-Quran protests spread to the Netherlands
The leader of the Pegida-movement in the Netherlands has publicly ripped to shreds a copy of the Quran as a form of protest in The Hague, angering local Muslims.
Ukraine considers porn law overhaul
Ukraine is considering the decriminalisation of pornography.
Italian general sacked after his controversial book causes uproar
A senior Italian general has been sacked after his controversial book caused uproar in the country.
Sweden raises terror alert to second-highest level
Sweden's security service SAPO has put the terrorist-threat level against the nation at 4 on a scale of 1 to 5 over rising tensions following a series of Quran burnings…