Vice President JD Vance cautioned European leaders against the growing “threat from within” that has led to the banning of so-called hate speech and disinformation, and encouraged them to respect the opinions of their citizens.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Vance made the case that free speech is “in retreat.” He cited a number of instances where European nations have repressed citizens’ speech, including the Swedish government’s conviction of a Christian activist for burning Qurans, the German police raids against citizens suspected of posting anti-feminist content online, and the UK’s persecution of pro-life activists for praying in their heads.
“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor, and what I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America,” the vice president remarked.
“For years. we’ve been told that everything we fund and support is in the name of our shared democratic values, everything from our Ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy. But when we see European courts canceling elections and senior officials threatening to cancel others, we ought to ask whether we’re holding ourselves to an appropriately high standard — and I say ourselves, because I fundamentally believe that we’re on the same team, we must do more than talk about democratic values.” he added.
Vance focused on the story of Adam Smith Connor, an army veteran who prayed outside a UK abortion clinic on behalf of his unborn son, whose girlfriend had aborted him years prior, as an example of how European countries have clamped down on “hateful content” or even thought crimes.
Watch as Vice President J.D. Vance addresses the Munich Security Conference. In his second major speech in Europe this week, Vance is expected to outline America’s priorities toward Europe, with a focus on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Live at 8:15AM ET. https://t.co/Rnorkf2pkc
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) February 14, 2025
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