By Paulo Silva Pinto and Leo Garfinkel Joan Barata, a freedom-of-expression scholar at Vanderbilt University in the United States, says the right to voice an opinion must be preserved even when it makes others uncomfortable. “The right to freedom of expression includes the right to shock, disturb, and offend—three very strong verbs. You have the […]
By Angele Latham The U.S. has fallen from third to ninth place in the global ranking for support of free speech rights since 2021, according to a new study published by The Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University. The annual study, titled “Who in the World Supports Free Speech?” surveyed over 52,000 people about their support […]
By Natalie Alkiviadou On the 7th January 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR/Court) delivered the judgment of Minasyan and Others v. Armenia (2025). It addressed critical issues of hate speech, discrimination and the state’s positive obligations under Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life) in conjunction with Article 14 (the prohibition of […]
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s accusations of censorship have angered Europeans. Many Americans, however, believe he is right—even though the White House itself restricts free speech. By Fabian Fellmann [ . . . ] Trump’s Own Assault on the Press More free speech would benefit Europe, agrees Jacob Mchangama. “Europe sees free expression too much […]
By Jacob Mchangama Last week, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance shocked an A-list group of European political and military leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany with a blunt message: Europe has gone too far in restricting speech. According to Vance, the main threat against European security does not emanate from Russia or China, but […]
By Benjamin von Wyl Hate speech is considered a threat to society and democracy. At a time when Facebook and Instagram allow more statements, the commitment of volunteers who respond to hate – with so-called counterspeech – is becoming more important. [ . . . ] Opponents of content moderation for counterspeech The Institute “The […]
In a new piece in the Danish newspaper Politken, Jacob Mchangama argues that, if adopted, Amnesty International Denmark’s recommendations from a new report on hate speech would undermine free speech and increase government surveillance. Here is a summary of his arguments. Amnesty International Denmark claims to defend free speech but argues that free speech itself […]
By Jacob Mchangama The abuse of “apology for terrorism” laws became particularly evident after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7. What if the cure was worse than the disease? Article 11 of the 1789 French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen – the edifice of the French Revolution – guarantees all […]
From the show A Propos France has marked 10 years since an Islamist attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks to Jacob Mchangama, founder of “The Future of Free Speech” think tank and research professor […]
By Peggy Sastre The excerpt below is a rough English translation. Read the original in French here. Jacob Mchangama, a Danish legal scholar and author of a notable history of freedom of expression from the time of Socrates to the era of social media, is now one of the most insightful analysts of this fundamental […]