Archiv: freedom of speech / expression / language / bans


21.01.2025 - 19:53 [ White House ]

RESTORING FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND ENDING FEDERAL CENSORSHIP

Section 1. Purpose. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, an amendment essential to the success of our Republic, enshrines the right of the American people to speak freely in the public square without Government interference. Over the last 4 years, the previous administration trampled free speech rights by censoring Americans’ speech on online platforms, often by exerting substantial coercive pressure on third parties, such as social media companies, to moderate, deplatform, or otherwise suppress speech that the Federal Government did not approve. Under the guise of combatting “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “malinformation,” the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate. Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of the United States to: (a) secure the right of the American people to engage in constitutionally protected speech;

(b) ensure that no Federal Government officer, employee, or agent engages in or facilitates any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen;

(c) ensure that no taxpayer resources are used to engage in or facilitate any conduct that would unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen; and

(d) identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the Federal Government related to censorship of protected speech.

Sec. 3. Ending Censorship of Protected Speech. (a) No Federal department, agency, entity, officer, employee, or agent may act or use any Federal resources in a manner contrary to section 2 of this order.

(b) The Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of executive departments and agencies, shall investigate the activities of the Federal Government over the last 4 years that are inconsistent with the purposes and policies of this order and prepare a report to be submitted to the President, through the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions to be taken based on the findings of the report.

21.01.2025 - 19:50 [ Associated Press ]

Trump orders government not to infringe on Americans’ speech, calls for censorship investigation

It’s not yet clear how the order could affect the work that several U.S. agencies do to track false claims that pose threats to election security, including the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA.

20.12.2024 - 22:04 [ Adalah ]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Arab Leadership in Israel Appeals to Supreme Court Against Law Allowing Education Ministry to Dismiss Teachers and Cut Funding to Palestinian Schools Over Alleged “Support of Terrorism”

(December 17, 2024)

In the petition, Adalah Attorney Salam Irsheid argued that the law is clearly racist in intent, especially given the widespread persecution and criminalization of hundreds of Palestinian citizens by Israeli authorities and other entities since the outbreak of the war 7 October 2023, for merely expressing entirely lawful opinions. The law’s deliberate vagueness, and the fact that it only addresses “incitement to terrorism”—which is used almost exclusively to target Palestinians—while excluding incitement to violence or racism, highlights its discriminatory purpose. By granting broad, unchecked powers to political and administrative authorities, the law enables punitive actions to be taken against Palestinian educators for expressing views that fall outside the mainstream consensus, thereby severely undermining their basic right to freedom of expression. Adalah further argued that the law breaches the principle of the separation of powers, as it grants the Education Ministry the authority to infringe on teachers’ rights to freedom of expression and occupation, effectively requiring a determination of whether they have committed a criminal offense, even if no charges have been filed against them.

20.12.2024 - 21:48 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Petition to Supreme Court; Far-Right Govt Consider Bill Banning Left and Arab Campus Groups

Hadash MKs opposed the proposed legislation, calling it “dime-store fascist populism and McCarthyism.” According to Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman, “The Knesset is advancing two bills targeting critical students and professors, aimed primarily at Palestinian and leftist voices in academia. These bills seek to silence any remaining voices resisting the government’s policies of occupation and war. This marks another step in the fascist agenda to suppress any real opposition to the extreme right. Heads of universities, professors, and students recognize the danger of such legislation and are voicing their opposition.

On past week, the Knesset plenum, in a preliminary reading, passed a proposed law that would amend the Students Rights Law, allowing most Israeli higher education institutions to implement gender separation. MK Son Har-Melech proposed the law, which 55 members of the Knesset (MKs) supported and 45 MKs opposed.

25.11.2024 - 00:50 [ Times of Israel ]

Ministers back bill to privatize Kan public broadcaster, call for Haaretz boycott

Only hours after the cabinet voted unanimously on Sunday to support a boycott of the left-wing Haaretz daily, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation gave its backing to a bill mandating the privatization of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation within two years, effectively closing down the public broadcaster.

The private member’s bill, sponsored by Likud MK Tally Gotliv, would require the government to issue a tender for the purchase of the television and radio networks controlled by the IPBC, which operates the Kan public broadcaster and Reshet Bet radio, among others.

25.11.2024 - 00:28 [ Associated Press ]

Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza

Ahmed Khalefa’s life turned upside down after he was charged with inciting terrorism for chanting in solidarity with Gaza at an anti-war protest in October 2023.

The lawyer and city counselor from central Israel says he spent three difficult months in jail followed by six months detained in an apartment. It’s unclear when he’ll get a final verdict on his guilt or innocence. Until then, he’s forbidden from leaving his home from dusk to dawn.

02.11.2024 - 21:21 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Witch Hunt in Israel Against Peace Activists and Haaretz Editor

Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin has announced Thursday, October 31, he’s pushing a bill to impose 20-year prison sentences on Israelis who advocate for sanctions against the country or its leaders. In other words: 20-year prison sentence for exercising freedom of speech in Israel.

The far-right government craziness in Israel is intensifying after a “Call for International Pressure,” initiated by Academy for Equality activists, was wide-world published last week and signed by over three thousands petitioners, including a group of leading Israeli academics, among them: Anat Matar, Smadar Ben-Natan, Moshé Behar, Tamir Sorek, Rafi Greenberg, Shira Klein, Lior Sternfeld, Ophira Gamliel, Hilla Dayan, Regev Nathansohn, Uri Hadar, Snait Gissis, Amalia Saar, Avishai Ehrlich, Efraim Davidi, Maya Rosenfeld, Avraham Oz, Ronnen Ben-Arie, Yael Berda, Anat Biletzki, Sivan Rajuan Shtang, Hannan Hever, Orly Lubin, Raz Chen-Morris, Hannah Safran, Revital Madar, Ilana Hairston, Amos Goldberg, Tamar Hager and Miriam Eliav-Feldon.

The petition stated, “We, Israeli citizens, living in Israel and abroad, are calling on the international community – the United Nations and its institutions, the United States, the European Union, the Arab League and all the countries of the world – to intervene immediately and apply every possible sanction… put real pressure on Israel for an immediate ceasefire.”

31.10.2024 - 09:44 [ APNews.com ]

Biden suggests Trump supporters are ‘garbage’ after comic’s insult of Puerto Rico

“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t, I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr — in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people,” he said.

The president then added: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”

05.05.2024 - 05:59 [ New York Times ]

From Free Speech to Free Palestine: Six Decades of Student Protest

“You’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop,” he said. Soon the students would flood into a campus administration building.

That scene played out 60 years ago at the University of California, Berkeley. The words were directed at the university leadership, and referring to its restrictions on campus political activity. But the speech, from the student leader Mario Savio, and the sit-in that followed could have happened yesterday.

30.04.2024 - 00:06 [ Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union ]

Defending Academic Freedom at Rutgers in 2024

(April 10, 2024)

A statement of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT Executive Council and Academic Freedom Committee and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union Executive Board and Academic Freedom Committee

Since late 2023, Rutgers University has been the target of repeated attacks on academic freedom, including pressure from elected officials to limit the speech and activities of professors, students, academic centers, and departments at Rutgers. These attacks claim to be focused on antisemitism, but in fact they aim at a broad sweep of expression, seeking to stifle the free exchange of ideas that is at the core of Rutgers’ educational mission as the premier public university of New Jersey. To protect Rutgers’ academic mission, we speak out against attempts to infringe on free speech, research, teaching, and writing. We call on the Rutgers administration to do likewise and robustly defend our institution and targeted members of the Rutgers community.

24.04.2024 - 04:40 [ New York Post ]

12 suspended Columbia students reinstated just days after anti-Israel protest, as lawyer vows to take ‘fascist’ school to NY Supreme Court

“Speech, no matter how unpopular it may be, is the essence of academia. Protest against Zionism in Israel is pure protected speech. … If Jewish students are made uncomfortable by it, f— them!” Cohen, who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home, told the Village Sun.

“Speech is supposed to make you uncomfortable. This is not lighting candles and kumbaya. … All speech is protected unless the imminent intent is to commit violence — like shouting ‘Fire!’ in a crowded movie theater,” he added. (…)

“I got f—ing suspended from Columbia 50 years ago. I got thrown out of Columbia after a week for anti-war protesting,” he lamented.

“Columbia is fascist,” he said.

18.01.2024 - 07:01 [ Middle East Eye ]

Civil rights groups in Israel file petition demanding authorisation for anti-war protests

The petition was filed after the police refused on Tuesday to approve the protest, for the third time.

The petition states that the police‘s refusal to approve the protest „joins the systematic oppression of protests, even small demonstrations, that criticise the combat, its results, and demand a diplomatic solution“.

18.01.2024 - 06:20 [ Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) / Twitter ]

Last night‘s events in Tel Aviv paint a disturbing picture: the Tel Aviv police are becoming highly influenced by Ben Gvir‘s sentiments regarding protestors. From the accounts of demonstrators, including videos and testimonies, it is evident that severe violence, dismantling of signs, political persecution, and incitement against protesters are becoming disturbingly routine.

We urge the Attorney General not to remain silent when the police transform into a political tool, targeting those who dissent from the government‘s stance.

Particularly in times of war, it is crucial to safeguard freedom of expression and the right to protest.

17.01.2024 - 22:44 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Hadash MK Cassif: ‘They Want to Silence Us’

MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) is being threatened with expulsion from Israel’s parliament after he signed a petition supporting South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of acts of genocide. Cassif says the impeachment is based on an antidemocratic law that suppresses free speech. “They want me and my friends to shut up,” he says of the far-right government’s persecution of dissenting legislators in an interview to Amy Goodman broadcasted by Democracy Now! “We’ve been against the war from the beginning because we are against bloodshed.”

16.09.2023 - 02:10 [ Newsweek ]

Courts Strike a Blow Against White House‘s Social Media Censorship | Opinion

The plaintiffs in the case, led by the states of Missouri and Louisiana, eminent doctors, and others alleged that under guise of combating „mis-, dis-, and mal-information,“ the Biden White House and nearly a dozen federal agencies have, alongside private-sector cutouts, cajoled and colluded with Big Tech platforms to silence millions of Americans. The topics social media platforms have censored at the government‘s direction, measuring likely hundreds of millions of posts, range from the Hunter Biden laptop story, to matters of election integrity, to virtually every aspect of the coronavirus pandemic.

09.09.2023 - 18:46 [ Yale.edu ]

Declaration of Israel‘s Independence 1948

(14th May,1948)

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

23.07.2023 - 21:36 [ Yale.edu ]

Declaration of Israel‘s Independence 1948

(14th May,1948)

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

05.07.2023 - 12:04 [ Fox News ]

Biden likely violated First Amendment during COVID-19 pandemic, federal judge says

A U.S. District Court judge is temporarily preventing White House officials from meeting with tech companies about social media censorship, arguing that such actions in the past were likely First Amendment violations.

The Tuesday injunction by Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty was in response to recent lawsuits from Louisiana and Missouri attorneys general. The suits allege that the White House coerced or „significantly encourage[d]“ tech companies to suppress free speech during the COVID-19 pandemic.

05.07.2023 - 12:00 [ APnews.com ]

Judge limits Biden administration in working with social media companies

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana granted the injunction in response to a 2022 lawsuit brought by attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri. Their lawsuit alleged that the federal government overstepped in its efforts to convince social media companies to address postings that could result in vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or affect elections.

15.06.2023 - 12:56 [ Kennedy24.com ]

Civil Liberties: Restore our Rights

Our administration will make it a top priority to protect and restore the fundamental civil liberties, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, that hold the essence of what America can be. These liberties have endured constant assault for over twenty years, starting with the Bush/Cheney War on Terror, and accelerating in the era of Covid lockdowns.

Freedom of speech is the capstone of all other rights and freedoms. Once a government has the power to silence its opponents, no other right is safe. We will therefore dismantle the censorship-industrial complex, in which Big Tech censors, deplatforms, shadowbans, and algorithmically suppresses any person or opinion the government asks them to. We will respect the right to privacy and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, by ending mass surveillance of American citizens and the abuse of civil asset forfeiture. We will make sure that the Covid-era suspension of the right to assembly, trial by jury, and freedom of worship will never happen again. The same for the right to property. During Covid, 3.4 million business were forced to close. Many of them, including 60% of Black-owned businesses, will never reopen.

A Kennedy administration will respect American citizens and stop treating them like suspects and schoolchildren. We will stop manipulating the public with propaganda and targeted leaks. We will never weaponize the law against political opponents, nor hold our own officials above the law. We will return the intelligence agencies to their proper role as protectors not violators of liberty.

16.05.2023 - 16:30 [ Yale.edu ]

Declaration of Israel‘s Independence 1948

(14th May,1948)

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

16.05.2023 - 16:25 [ Government of Israel - Gov.il ]

The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel

(14th May,1948)

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open for Jewish immigration and for the Ingathering of the Exiles; it will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

27.04.2023 - 17:49 [ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ]

UN Human Rights Chief urges UK to reverse ‘deeply troubling’ Public Order Bill

The Public Order Bill, which has now been passed by Parliament in the United Kingdom, is deeply troubling legislation that is incompatible with the UK’s international human rights obligations regarding people’s rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Thursday.

“This new law imposes serious and undue restrictions on these rights that are neither necessary nor proportionate to achieve a legitimate purpose as defined under international law. This law is wholly unnecessary as UK police already have the powers to act against violent and disruptive demonstrations,” Türk said.

29.01.2023 - 22:01 [ theJC.com ]

UK falls below Israel in global free speech ranking thanks to Online Safety Bill

The study published on Wednesday by the London-based nonprofit Index on Censorship (IOC) describes the UK as only “partially open” in every key area measured.

In this year‘s ranking, the UK fell below other advanced economies including Australia, Israel, and Japan. European neighbours such as Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Denmark also all rank higher than the UK.

17.12.2022 - 08:33 [ Elon Musk / Nitter ]

The people have spoken. Accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now.

28.11.2022 - 04:12 [ CNN ]

Protests erupt across China in unprecedented challenge to Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy

The campus protests continued on Sunday. At Tsinghua University, another elite university in Beijing, hundreds of students gathered on a square to protest against zero-Covid and censorship.

Videos and images circulating on social media show students holding up sheets of white paper and shouting: “Democracy and rule of law! Freedom of expression!”

24.10.2022 - 05:55 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Destined for Downing Street? Rishi Sunak could be named PM TODAY after Boris Johnson pulls out of Tory leadership contest and Penny Mordaunt well short of the 100 supporters she needs ahead of 2pm deadline

– Rishi Sunak, who launched his bid yesterday morning, has received public backing of more than 150 Tory MPs
– As of last night, 155 MPs said they are backing Mr Sunak, while 25 had spoken out in support of Ms Mordaunt
– A further 54 who were hoping Mr Johnson would return are yet to publicly reveal to whom they will now back
– Mr Johnson earlier said he had in fact reached the ‚very high hurdle of 102 nominations‘ as he bowed out
– Ms Mordaunt‘s team, though, believe his decision to pull himself from the race will ‚propel her over the line‘

31.07.2022 - 17:17 [ America First Legal ]

AFL LAWSUIT REVEALS DAMNING CDC DOCUMENTS PROVING GOVERNMENT COLLUSION WITH BIG TECH TO CENSOR FREE SPEECH AND PROMOTE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PROPAGANDA

Last July, then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted that the White House was working with social media companies to identify “misinformation.” Specifically, she said, “we’re regularly making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives, dangerous to public health that we and many other Americans are seeing across all of social and traditional media. And we work to engage with them to better understand the enforcement of social media platform policies.”

AFL immediately submitted FOIA requests to the Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health to uncover the degree to which the CDC and the White House have been censoring content that it has deemed “disinformation” or “misinformation.” Predictably, the Biden Administration obstructed and delayed complying with their legal obligation to provide such information, and AFL sued the CDC to compel their release.

Today, after a year of work, AFL has obtained its first damning release of documents.

23.04.2022 - 13:27 [ Glenn Greenwald / Rumble ]

The WashPost‘s Doxxing of @LibsOfTikTok Reveals Who Corporate Journalists See as Their Targets

(video)

23.04.2022 - 13:24 [ thePostMillennial.com ]

German government funds ‚research‘ project that doxxed Libs of Tik Tok

(19.04.2022)

Brown is working on an ongoing project with support from Prototype Fund, an organization that provides financial support to Brown‘s so-called „Hatespeech-Tracker.“ Protoype Fund is a project of the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Travis Robert Brown’s Hassreden-Tracker is composed of his existing tools, such as cancel-culture, which Travis uses to track, stalk, dox, and harass those he has a personal vendetta against. You can see the hundreds of lists he’s created here.

12.03.2022 - 16:18 [ Interfax Ukraine ]

Russian propagandists to respond in same way as those who drop bombs on innocent people – Zelensky

„War crimes are impossible without propagandists covering them up. I want to tell them one thing: you will respond in the same way as those who order bombs to be dropped on civilians,“ he said in a video statement distributed on Thursday afternoon.

„We will find all the property of propagandists and persons associated with them. We will do everything to have it seized, wherever it is. You love the rich life. Love prosperous countries. You won‘t have it anymore. And this is just the beginning,“ he said, adding that „you will be prosecuted for complicity in war crimes.“

24.02.2022 - 18:25 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

Here‘s what the climate is producing toward any American who is even slightly off-key or mildly questioning the unified script. If you think this is healthy, I think you ought to re-consider that.

27.01.2022 - 15:52 [ Haaretz ]

In Landmark Bundestag Speech, Israel‘s Knesset Speaker Warns of Breakdown of Democracy

Germany’s descent into Nazism provides an object lesson on the fragility of democracy and the need to preserve it, Knesset speaker Mickey Levy told German lawmakers on Thursday. Levy is the first Knesset speaker to address the German parliament.

01.08.2021 - 20:30 [ Jonathan Cook / Consortium News ]

Murray Jailing Latest Move to Stop Journalism

It may not be surprising that corporate journalists, keen to hold on to their jobs, are consenting through their silence to this all-out assault on journalism and free speech, with Craig Murray its latest victim, writes Jonathan Cook.

23.06.2021 - 11:52 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

The government threat to YOUR free speech: Misguided Online Safety Bill will be ‚catastrophic‘ for ordinary people‘s social media, says MP David Davis – with tech giants able to ban posts for being ‚harmful‘ that are perfectly legal

The Government‘s new Online Safety Bill will be ‚catastrophic‘ for ordinary people‘s freedom of speech, former minister David Davis warned today.

The Conservative MP said forcing social networks to take down content in Britain they deem unacceptable ‚seems out of Orwell‘s 1984‘.

Mr Davis, 72, slammed the idea Silicon Valley firms could take down posts they think are ‚not politically correct – even though it is legal‘.

15.05.2021 - 08:50 [ Ben Reiff / Times of Israel ]

OPINION: To end the violence, we must end the occupation

We reject the suggestion that it is only certain kinds of Jews of certain nationalities who abhor the violence of the occupation. Our members include rabbis, youth movement leaders, Jewish professionals and others who are deeply committed to Jewish communal life.

We come from every mainstream denomination and our conviction for justice is informed by our commitment to Judaism.

We care profoundly about our community and feel compelled to actualise the Jewish values by which we have been taught to live; values such as chesed (loving-kindness), tzedek (justice) and pikuach nefesh (the sanctity of each human life).

16.03.2021 - 12:14 [ Spiked ]

The free-speech crisis is not a right-wing myth

Too many on what passes for the left today are keen to dismiss the free-speech crisis in universities as a ‘right-wing myth’. They brush off the countless examples of censorship as overhyped. And they ignore concerns about the moral policing of dissenting views.

In short, they effectively deny that a free-speech crisis exists. And they do so by attacking those who are sounding the alarm. As far as these deniers are concerned, the problem is not cancel culture; it is those dishonest myth-makers who are drawing attention to it.

12.03.2021 - 09:26 [ Glenn Greenwald ]

Journalists Start Demanding Substack Censor its Writers: to Bar Critiques of Journalists

This new political battle does not break down along left v. right lines. This is an information war waged by corporate media to silence any competition or dissent.

02.02.2021 - 09:47 [ Spiked ]

Why we need Free Speech Champions

Free speech is the central principle of a healthy democracy. It is a vital tool for giving a voice to the voiceless, and for ensuring that everyone gets a say without being shut down. We are lucky to live in a country where we are free to criticise those in power, and where the government can be held to account by a young footballer. We must make the most of this.

19.01.2021 - 22:17 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

Censorship never was a left-wing tactic. Opposing censorship was never the hallmark of right-wing values. And censorship is never aimed at one ideology or the other, but at *dissent* from the ruling class wherever it comes from. Listen to Noam Chomsky:

Read how Chomsky, in 1981, object to the attempts to have a tenured professor in France fired for Holocaust revisionism, because Chomsky knew that that framework, once implanted, would be used against people like him, Edward Said, Howard Zinn, etc.:

15.01.2021 - 19:24 [ Michael Tracey / Twitter ]

I don‘t see much of an „insurrection“ or „armed rebellion“ underway at the moment. However, I do see a massive ongoing corporate censorship purge, as well as the overt criminalization of political speech. Odd

11.01.2021 - 10:04 [ Caitlin Johnstone. ]

Patriot Act 2, Censorship, And Other Notes From The Edge Of The Narrative Matrix

“We need to stop fascism so let’s give massive sweeping powers to an elite alliance of unelected authoritarians.”

“Well I’m a leftist and I haven’t been banned on social media.”

That’s because the left is politically impotent in our society. Unless this is just a hobby for you, at some point you should plan on the left becoming a threat to the oligarchs and warmongers. What do you think happens then?

Do you really think if the left actually becomes a threat to the status quo the Neera Tandens and Rachel Maddows aren’t going to suddenly discover a reason why you’re dangerous and need to be censored? The only way to be fine with censorship is to plan on never challenging power.

11.01.2021 - 09:51 [ Jesse Singal, author / Twitter ]

It‘s sorta weird that Twitter does this mass banning of accounts, including, like, Red Scare, and the response from so many people is „Well they were all Nazis.“ Were they? What has Twitter revealed to you guys about the process that they are hiding from the rest of us?

11.01.2021 - 09:33 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

It was a *Democratic-controlled* House sub-committee that just a few months ago issued a lengthy report concluding that FB, Amazon, Google & Apple are *monopolies*. That means competition is impossible. Now Dems are happy that it‘s used for them:

I‘ve been resisting the conclusion that this is Liberals‘ 9/11 because it at first seemed hyperbolic, even though they‘re using the same weapons against their critics (if you question all the new powers they want, it means you love the Terrorists).

But this is Liberals‘ 9/11.

09.01.2021 - 21:10 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

If you‘re a liberal, there‘s no need to reply by saying how happy you are that this is happening, or how justified you think it is. I‘m already well-aware that huge numbers of liberals favor censorship of their adversaries and venerate the power of tech monopolies.

09.01.2021 - 19:09 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

That the ACLU can’t issue a clear, definitive statement about Silicon Valley oligarchical monopolies radically expanding their control over political speech – see if you can figure out what this even means — speaks volumes not only about ACLU but how repressive this moment is:

08.01.2021 - 18:41 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Freedom of expression fears grow as tough new Ofcom code classes ‚political opinion‘ in its definition of hate speech

(04.01.2021)

Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith said: ‚We are drifting into a totalitarian ‚woke‘ state where nothing can ever be said for fear that somebody will be offended. It‘s madness, and it‘s driven by a small minority. Most people don‘t care.‘

04.01.2021 - 08:40 [ DailyMail.co.uk ]

Mother of Julian Assange‘s children says if a British court sends her fiancé to face life in a US jail, this country‘s no longer a safe haven for free speech

But that is what would happen if the UK decides to extradite Julian. It would rewrite the rules of what it is permissible to publish here. Overnight, it would chill free and open debate about abuses by our own government and by many foreign ones, too.

In effect, foreign countries could simply issue an extradition request saying that UK journalists, or Facebook users for that matter, have violated their censorship laws.

Reporters Without Borders and the National Union of Journalists have said that as long as Julian remains in prison facing extradition, the UK is not a safe place for journalists and publishers to work.

The press freedoms we cherish in Britain are meaningless if they can be criminalised and suppressed by regimes in Russia or Ankara or by prosecutors in Alexandria, Virginia.

If Westminster Magistrates‘ Court accepts the US arguments tomorrow, every other country can use them, too. It would place an impossible burden on you, me, everyone, not to violate foreign censorship laws.

24.12.2020 - 06:58 [ Electronic Frontier Foundation ]

It’s Not Section 230 President Trump Hates, It’s the First Amendment

(09.12.2020)

Under Section 230, the only party responsible for unlawful speech online is the person who said it, not the website where they posted it, the app they used to share it, or any other third party.

24.12.2020 - 06:56 [ Mediapost.com ]

Citing Failure To Repeal Section 230, Trump Vetoes Military Spending Bill

“Your failure to terminate the very dangerous national security risk of Section 230 will make our intelligence virtually impossible to conduct without everyone knowing what we are doing at every step,” Trump stated in his message to Congress.

“Section 230 facilitates the spread of foreign disinformation online, which is a serious threat to our national security and election integrity,” the president added. “It must be repealed.”

21.12.2020 - 20:40 [ Wikipedia ]

Feindsender

Feindsender (‚Enemy radio station‘) was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe radio stations broadcast by enemies of the German Reich before and during World War II, such as the United Kingdom or the United States. It also referred to radio stations in Germany which broadcast anti-Nazi material. The term has not been in general use since the downfall of the Third Reich.

08.12.2020 - 04:22 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

Anything that poses a threat to the ability of mainstream media corporations and their employees to monopolize discourse and control information — Patreon, Substack, Joe Rogan, WikiLeaks, social media, etc. — they will hate and wage war on to try to either demonize or control.

05.12.2020 - 15:03 [ Spiked ]

The left now loathes the working class

Paul Embery, trade unionist, writer and author of Despised: Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class, joins spiked’s editor for the latest episode of The Brendan O’Neill Show. They discuss the left’s embrace of woke politics, and its rejection of the working class, national democracy and free speech.

29.11.2020 - 15:02 [ OpenDemocracy.net ]

France’s ‘global security’ bill

(23.11.2020) Perfectly in line with the trend of the times – and by consequence, we are sorry to have it observed, with very little inventiveness and innovation – these articles impose a general surveillance for the many and a privileged disclosure for the few, as they provide for ground mass surveillance, air mass surveillance and a ban on documenting police action.

29.11.2020 - 14:50 [ Washington Post ]

France’s new national security bill could jeopardize freedom of expression

(26.11.2020)

That was the second protest gathering thousands of people that week, despite the country’s health crisis and lockdown due to the covid-19 pandemic. The demonstrations related to a new bill accused of obstructing civil liberties. As critics have argued, the “global security bill,” which received a first-reading adoption by the National Assembly on Nov. 24, jeopardizes the freedom of the press and could herald the introduction of a ubiquitous surveillance system.

24.11.2020 - 11:22 [ Rashida Tlaib, Abgeordnete im US Repräsentantenhaus / Twitter ]

So long as he doesn‘t suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against Netanyahu‘s racist and inhumane policies. The Palestinian people deserve equality and justice.

24.11.2020 - 11:20 [ Fox News ]

Rashida Tlaib accused of anti-Semitism for reaction to Biden‘s Jewish Sec of State nominee

„Biden names a Jew to his cabinet What’s Rashida’s response?! ‚Welp, as long as that Judische pick doesn’t stop me from focusing my hatred on one country, Israel, then he’s a good Jew!‘ It’s not your 1A right you’re trying to protect but your vile Jew-hatred! That’s ALL yours!“ Americans Against Antisemitism founder Dov Hikind reacted.

„You can just say you‘re worried because he‘s Jewish…“ the Republican Jewish Coalition tweeted.

17.11.2020 - 20:08 [ France24 ]

French bill banning images of police worries activists and journalists

Critics, however, say the ban would essentially censor journalists by outlawing an activity that could be essential to their work. Images documenting police brutality or misconduct could also fall under the rubric of the ban.

26.10.2020 - 08:19 [ World News Media ALERT / Twitter ]

#JewsForTrump vehicle convoy passes Trump Tower in Manhattan. #WNM

26.10.2020 - 08:15 [ NYC Protest Updates 2020 / Twitter ]

The procession described in this @nytimes article is NOT the „Jews for Trump“ caravan, which stayed in Brooklyn. The group that engaged in brawls in Times Square had no specific religious affiliation. This needs to be corrected ASAP.

26.10.2020 - 08:08 [ New York Times ]

Fights Erupt During ‘Jews for Trump’ Rally in Manhattan

According to the police, the pro-Trump caravan passed through Times Square, where it converged with a group of anti-Trump protesters who had marched from Brooklyn. The cars in the convoy were then blocked by counterprotesters, and some drivers got out of their cars to confront the anti-Trump demonstrators.

26.10.2020 - 08:05 [ Fox News ]

Family describes horror as violent maskless rioters throw rocks, attack ‚Jews for Trump‘ convoy

A member of the family told Fox News that the unprovoked attack happened while the family was driving down 5th Ave with the car windows down and Trump flags displayed.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous fearing his family could be targeted, said a car pulled up next to them and unleashed pepper spray into their vehicle.

23.10.2020 - 20:13 [ Press TV ]

Thousands of students march with torches in Hungary for academic freedom

The institution, which has nurtured many of Hungary‘s leading directors and filmmakers, has been caught up in a culture war as Prime Minister Viktor Orban‘s government seeks to enforce a conservative shift to end what it sees as the domination of the arts by liberals.

01.10.2020 - 22:49 [ Haaretz ]

Hundreds of Small Protests Mushroom Across Israel Over ‚Draconian‘ Restrictions

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators took on Thursday to the streets across Israel, protesting the latest measures limiting the right to protest during the country’s second coronavirus lockdown.

14.08.2020 - 01:55 [ Al Jazeera ]

Lebanon parliament approves sweeping powers for the army

The state of emergency allows the army to curb free speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press, as well as to enter homes and arrest anyone deemed a security threat.

10.08.2020 - 05:50 [ Caitlin Johnstone ]

Once you realize that corporate power is America‘s real government, it becomes clear that corporate media is state media. It‘s just a tyrannical regime brainwashing its populace with propaganda, brutalizing protesters, and attacking anyone in the world who disobeys its dictates.

05.08.2020 - 17:37 [ Cato Institute ]

Poll: 62% of Americans Say They Have Political Views They’re Afraid to Share

(22.06.2020)

A new Cato national survey finds that self‐​censorship is on the rise in the United States. Nearly two-thirds—62%—of Americans say the political climate these days prevents them from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive. The share of Americans who self‐​censor has risen several points since 2017 when 58% of Americans agreed with this statement.

26.07.2020 - 12:59 [ Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) ]

EFF to Court: Trump Appointee’s Removal of Open Technology Fund Leadership Is Unlawful

24.7.2020 The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today joined a group of 17 leading U.S.-based Internet freedom organizations in telling a federal appeals court that Trump administration appointee Michael Pack has no legal authority to purge leadership at the Open Technology Fund (OTF), a private, independent nonprofit that helps hundreds of millions of people across the globe speak out online and avoid censorship and surveillance by repressive regimes.

25.07.2020 - 20:41 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

Attacking a journalist due to contempt for their ideology, politics or work is repulsive and should be regarded as a crime. As this case demonstrates, it’s the mentality of fascists:

25.07.2020 - 20:41 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

“When people I like are beaten up, that’s fascism. When my own political adversaries are beaten up, that’s some cool shit that I get off on seeing. I’m an anti-fascist – love me.”

02.07.2020 - 17:22 [ Techdirt ]

Brazil‘s Proposed ‚Fake News‘ Law Says Internet Users Are Guilty Until Proven Innocent, Demands Constant Logging From ISPs

Brazilians will pretty much need a license to communicate with others — something achieved by turning platforms and app makers into bouncers at the internet nightclub.

20.06.2020 - 17:47 [ ReclaimTheNet.org ]

Germany’s hate speech law gets stricter, raises privacy concerns

Despite already having some of the strictest laws in the world surrounding “hate speech,” Germany is looking to tighten the leash further where it comes to social media. The new provision, when passed, will require online platforms to directly report to the federal police when any criminal activity is reported by users on these platforms.

19.06.2020 - 10:25 [ ReclaimTheNet.org ]

Victory for free speech as France’s supreme court crushes authoritarian “hate speech” laws

France’s Supreme Court equivalent rejected most parts of a bill that would obligate social media companies to remove so-called hate speech within 24 hours.

The ruling by the Constitutional Council on Thursday, June 18, 2020, is a win for free speech and even for big social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook.

18.06.2020 - 09:31 [ Matt Taibbi / Twitter ]

Everyone seems to think the censorship movement won‘t come for them. If you think for yourself, it eventually will.

18.06.2020 - 08:53 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

If you‘re convinced by the media voices that you follow that you‘re a courageous #Resistance fighter engaged in an historically momentous battle against Literal Hitler, then you believe that anything done to your enemies – censorship, imprisonment, etc. – is moral and just:

16.06.2020 - 13:27 [ Haaretz ]

It’s Only a Matter of Time Until a Journalist Is Jailed

Opponents of the lockdown were systematically silenced on establishment media, and silenced on social media by social censorship, as opposed to technological censorship: The lynch. The lynch isn’t an algorithm; it’s a common tool of social punishment the purpose of which is to shame, persecute, make miserable and blacken the names of those who express opinions that oppose what one’s homogenous newsfeed is willing to stand for.

16.06.2020 - 11:24 [ Fox News / Youtube ]

Tucker: Black Lives Matter is now a political party

(09.06.2020)

And it may be the strongest political party in the United States.

13.06.2020 - 06:45 [ Glenn Greenwald / Twitter ]

I genuinely don‘t understand why people who say „Free speech is an important principle, but…“ don‘t just say: „I don‘t believe in free speech because…“ People have always debated free speech. There have always been & always will be people who want to limit it. Just say that.

13.06.2020 - 06:08 [ Matt Taibbi ]

The American Press Is Destroying Itself

But police violence, and Trump’s daily assaults on the presidential competence standard, are only part of the disaster. On the other side of the political aisle, among self-described liberals, we’re watching an intellectual revolution. It feels liberating to say after years of tiptoeing around the fact, but the American left has lost its mind. It’s become a cowardly mob of upper-class social media addicts, Twitter Robespierres who move from discipline to discipline torching reputations and jobs with breathtaking casualness.

07.06.2020 - 11:35 [ See new Tweets Conversation Geoff Diehl & KathyJoBoss: MassGOP State Committee / Twitter ]

Charlie Chase, 82 year old Air Force Vet thrown to the ground in Fall River for holding a Trump sign, was back at it today! Supported by people from all over, he had nothing but love for everyone, including his attacker, & he Fall River Police made sure they had his back!

(06.06.2020)

07.06.2020 - 11:20 [ wbsm.com ]

Police: Fall River Man Assaulted Elderly Trump Supporter

(04.06.2020)

The victim was transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital for evaluation. Police say the victim had visible bruising on his lower back. Two independent witnesses say they observed the attack and corroborated the victim’s version of events.

The victim stated that he believed that he was targeted and attacked because of his political beliefs and the Trump hat that he was wearing. Courtright was contacted by police and later turned himself in to authorities at the Fall River Police Station.

04.06.2020 - 22:24 [ LA ist ]

ACLU, Black Lives Matter LA File Lawsuit Over Curfew Orders

The American Civil Liberties Union and Black Lives Matter L.A. have filed a lawsuit against local political and law enforcement leaders, calling for an end to the „draconian curfews“ imposed as largely peaceful protests continue throughout Southern California.

21.05.2020 - 02:51 [ Comité No Guerra no Nato and Global Research ]

Video: Let Us Free Ourselves From the Virus of War

International Conference on the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Italy and the End of World War II organised by the Italian Committee No War, No Nato and Global Research.

The great Italian journalist Giulietto Chiesa passed away a few hours after the realization of this Conference.

His last words (Panel 4 and Conclusion) focussed on Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Information, and Freedom for Julian Assange.

“It is essential to join all our forces together, which are significant, “not so small” but there is a fundamental flaw: that of being divided, unable to speak with a single voice. We need an means or an instrument to speak to the millions of citizens who want to know.”

This was Giulietto Chiesa’s Appeal, an act in solidarity pointing to the need to break down social divisions and establish a grassroots movement, nationally and internationally.

His last words were confirmed by the fact that, immediately after the streaming, the online conference was “obscured” because the following content had been identified by the so-called YouTube community as “inappropriate or offensive to some audiences.” That’s what is commonly referred to as Censorship.

Scroll down for list of participants and index

08.05.2020 - 16:03 [ Jasmyne Cannick, recently elected to the L.A. County Central Committee / Twitter ]

This (Pile of poo) right here has really pissed me off because I know when it’s no longer a viral video or being reported on in the news—both of these cops are probably going to squeak by with a slap on the wrist. This is effing ridiculous. There’s NO EXCUSE for this. None. #LAPD

“The use of force is justified because the officer believed he was under attack from the suspect even though you might think the suspect wasn’t fighting back at that time, he wasn’t complying either. He didn’t go to the ground. He didn’t say ‘I give up.’” — officer‘s attorney

21.04.2020 - 17:16 [ City News ]

G20 protester awarded $500 for illegal police search and goggles seizure

In its decision, Ontario’s top court ruled police had no right to search Luke Stewart when he entered a public park. Requiring the search infringed his rights to free expression and to be free from arbitrary detention, the court found.

11.04.2020 - 21:45 [ John Pilger and T.J. Coles / Information Clearing House ]

Freedom From Fear

In 2012, a landmark study on the “disease of isolation” was published in Britain and the US. Researchers from University College, London, revealed that isolation was killing the elderly — not loneliness, but isolation forced on people by circumstances beyond their control. More than “pre-existing” health conditions, isolation was the silent killer.

02.04.2020 - 11:21 [ Regierung der Niederlande - Government.nl ]

Statement by Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden

In this unprecedented situation, it is legitimate that Member States adopt extraordinary measures to protect their citizens and overcome the crisis. We are however deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights arising from the adoption of certain emergency measures.

Emergency measures should be limited to what is strictly necessary, should be proportionate and temporary in nature, subject to regular scrutiny, and respect the aforementioned principles and international law obligations. They should not restrict the freedom of expression or the freedom of the press.

02.04.2020 - 11:19 [ DutchNews.nl ]

Dutch sign veiled statement condemning Hungary, sidestep outright criticism

The Netherlands is one of 13 EU member states which have signed a joint statement criticising Viktor Orban’s power grab in Hungary but which does not mention the country by name.

In the statement, EU foreign ministers say they are ‘deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights arising from the adoption of certain emergency measures.’

02.04.2020 - 10:38 [ EDRI.org ]

Open letter: Civil society urges Member States to respect the principles of the law in Terrorist Content Online Regulation

On 27 March 2020, European Digital Rights (EDRi) and 12 of its member organisations sent an open letter to representatives of Member States in the Council of the EU. In the letter, we voice our deep concern over the proposed legislation on the regulation of terrorist content online and what we view as serious potential threats to fundamental rights of privacy, freedom of expression, etc.

28.02.2020 - 23:33 [ Andrew P. Napolitano / Antiwar.com ]

Punishing the Free Speech of Julian Assange

WikiLeaks revealed – in partnership with major international publications, including the two involved in the Pentagon Papers Case – videos of American troops murdering civilians and celebrating the murders (a war crime) as well as documentary proof of American complicity in torture (also a war crime).

28.02.2020 - 23:17 [ Antiwar.com ]

First They Came for Assange…

So, mainstream American publishers – of newspapers, online sites, and even cable news producers – really ought to brush up on their Evelyn Beatrice Hall; you know her oft-quoted, but rarely practiced profession: „I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.“

Ultimately, it matters not whether one likes Assange, shares his worldview, or even approves of his tactics. The name of the civil libertarian game must instead be a press-sovereignty solidarity that transcends the person of Mr. Assange. Love him or hate him; like WikiLeaks or loathe it; the most powerful American press organizations must close ranks with Assange.

25.02.2020 - 19:42 [ Johnny Whig / Twitter ]

According to the new wisdom, any foreign person who establishes a blog or Facebook account and writes about a candidate is guilty of election meddling. Let that sink in.

23.02.2020 - 16:57 [ solidus / Twitter ]

Germany prepares for reprisal attacks after Muslim massacre in Hanau. Security being stepped up, authorities monitoring far-left and Islamic groups

24.01.2020 - 22:18 [ Haaretz ]

Germany‘s pro-Israel Left Has a New Target in the Crosshairs: Jews

That was my introduction to the political phenomenon known as Antideutsche – anti-Germans. It started in the late 1980s as an exotic offshoot of the Maoist left, whose members denied the very legitimacy of a German nation after Nazism, under the slogan, “Germany, never again.” But for the past two decades, Antideutsche has had one primary focus: an unrestrained attack on anyone who is critical, even a bit, of Israeli policy. According to their amazingly simplistic approach, anti-Semitism is the source of all evil, Israel is the answer to anti-Semitism, and thus constitutes absolute good. Hence, at demonstrations and in Facebook posts of this left-wing group, there have even been calls to drop a nuclear bomb on Gaza – that is, calls for genocide.

24.01.2020 - 14:38 [ teleSUR ]

Glenn Greenwald: Intimidation of the Press Won‘t Stop Me

„Bolsonaro is attacking and threatening journalists all the time. So this is obviously a plan, a goal of this government, to bring repression back to Brazil,“ the U.S. journalist said.

23.01.2020 - 23:53 [ Electronic Frontier Foundation ]

EFF Statement on Glenn Greenwald Charges

21.1.2020

In free societies, journalists play an important role in challenging and criticizing governmental officials and scrutinizing their actions and policies. It is a threat to democracy when authorities use cybercrime laws to punish their critics, as the Brazilian government has done here with Glenn Greenwald, and it discourages journalists from using technology to best serve the public.

23.01.2020 - 07:59 [ Caitlin Johnstone ]

How To Be A Mentally Sovereign Human

Being a mentally sovereign human means constructing your own understanding of this weird reality based on your own investigations and your own reasoning, which means constructing it from the ground up. Even your most basic assumptions about reality itself must be rigorously cross-examined with complete skepticism. Nothing must be taken on faith.