International free speech
The Free Speech Union has covered 136 stories on this topic. Browse our coverage below.
15 May 2026
The Government Bans ‘Far-Right Agitators’ from Entering the UK
Starmer bans "right-wing" commentators from entering the UK ahead of the Unite the Kingdom rally.
2 March 2026
US launches free speech portal to help UK and EU citizens bypass online censorship
The Trump administration has launched freedom.gov, a VPN-style portal letting UK and EU citizens bypass online censorship laws — a stark signal of US alarm over European free speech restrictions.
28 February 2026
Elon Musk launches landmark legal challenge against EU over Digital Services Act fine
Elon Musk is taking the EU to court over a €120m Digital Services Act fine against X — in what could be a defining battle for free speech and regulatory power in Europe.
9 February 2026
Graham Linehan Gives Evidence to Congress on the UK's Free Speech Crisis
Graham Linehan told the US House Judiciary Committee that the UK's free speech crisis won't end until Keir Starmer leaves office — and urged America to act.
1 February 2026
US Under Secretary of State warns UK government has "authoritarian intentions" and says Congress will legislate against Ofcom
The US Under Secretary of State has accused the UK government of "telegraphed authoritarian intentions" and warned of congressional responses to Ofcom.
11 December 2025
Free speech campaigners demand investigation into their arrest by Belgian Police
5 November 2025
China is a threat to academic freedom in our universities
8 September 2025
The USTA’s censorship of Trump dissent at the US Open is cowardly, hypocritical and un-American
22 August 2025
PEN and 72 NGOs urge UK to secure Jimmy Lai’s release
21 August 2025
UK Parliament warns of escalating transnational repression
6 August 2025
Google wins case against Russia – but the real free speech fight may be yet to come
24 July 2025
Brazilian feminist faces 25 years for misgendering politician under “social racism” law
9 June 2025
Epidemic of “no-contact orders” on US campuses raises free speech concerns
5 June 2025
BBC warns of alarming escalation in Iranian harassment of Persian service journalists and their families
5 June 2025
US threatens UK officials over free speech
22 May 2025
Manchester man jailed for decade in Saudi Arabia amid secrecy over charges
2 May 2025
EU leaders advocate stronger censorship regulation to counter “disinformation” threats
1 May 2025
Four pro-democracy lawmakers from ‘Hong Kong 47’ group freed after four years in jail
28 April 2025
Writers jailed in record numbers amid rise in transnational repression
22 April 2025
Call for University President to resign amid academic freedom row at Lyon 2
21 April 2025
French philosopher to challenge UK entry ban with Free Speech Union support
9 April 2025
German journalist convicted for free speech meme
8 April 2025
New UK Internet Policing Law Targets US Online Forums
6 April 2025
Starmer backs down on free speech law that could harm Trump trade talks
10 March 2025
US Supreme Court to rule on laws requiring therapists to affirm gender identity
9 March 2025
The Trump Organization launches legal action after alleged ‘debanking’ by Capital One
4 March 2025
“Bias response teams” on US campuses under fire
4 March 2025
The US vs Europe (continued)
28 February 2025
Forced to apologise: how an Indonesian punk band exposed state coercion
28 February 2025
Vance clashes with Starmer over Britain’s record on free speech
22 February 2025
EU ‘bans the word man’ in inclusive language guide
22 February 2025
Salman Rushdie attacker found guilty of attempted murder
14 February 2025
Beijing targets UK-based Hong Kong activists as families face pressure at home
14 February 2025
JD Vance condemns UK’s crackdown on free speech
7 February 2025
Silencing dissent across borders: the free speech crisis of transnational repression
30 January 2025
Christian Iraqi who burned the Koran shot dead in Sweden during live stream
26 January 2025
PepsiCo adds viewpoint neutrality language after allegations of censorship in GARM’s influence on media policies
22 January 2025
Is Donald Trump a champion of free speech?
21 January 2025
Hong Kong places bounty on British-based pro-democracy activists
16 January 2025
Government Faces Criticism for Shelving Plans to Address Chinese Influence in Universities
16 January 2025
US government officials screamed and swore at Facebook staff, says Zuckerberg
7 January 2025
Facebook dumps fact-checkers in attempt to “restore” free speech
3 January 2025
Civil death in the West? The rise of de-banking
31 December 2024
Tougher Irish laws on hate crime come into force
30 December 2024
Italian journalist arrested and held in solitary confinement in Iran
13 December 2024
German university refuses to host an exhibition on anti-Jewish pogroms for fear of protests
13 December 2024
Professor censored over concerns that citing Victorian historian during public talk suggests pro-colonial viewpoint
5 December 2024
Why we should worry about Google’s stopping serving political advertising in EU
4 December 2024
Cathay Pacific apologises over inflight Family Guy episode with Tiananmen Square scene
3 December 2024
Afghan education activists launch campaign to address Taliban’s book censorship
3 December 2024
Christian fights blasphemy charges in Pakistani social media entrapment case
2 December 2024
Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi released from prison
2 December 2024
Students unable to speak with those who disagree with them, says Ivy League chief
1 December 2024
Ontario Human Rights Tribunal fines Emo Township for refusing to honour Pride month
27 November 2024
Germany: Man criticizes judge who fined Syrian for raping 15-year-old girl, gets fined twice as much
26 November 2024
Muslim schoolgirl admits lying that her teacher was Islamophobic - which led to him being decapitated by a jihadist
24 November 2024
“No pathway”: Government drops controversial misinformation bill amid Senate opposition
24 November 2024
Thin-Skinned German Politicians File More Than 1,300 Defamation Cases Against Citizens
19 November 2024
German police raid man’s home over tweet mocking Greens’ politician
19 November 2024
German Vice Chancellor Wants To Censor Social Media After Being Ridiculed Online
19 November 2024
‘Hong Kong 47’ activists jailed for up to ten years
12 November 2024
Constitutional law expert calls out Australian government’s “really problematic” misinformation bill
10 November 2024
Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses can finally be published in India
7 November 2024
Is Trump’s victory good news for free speech? Yes and no.
5 November 2024
Eight on trial in France over murder of teacher who showed Prophet caricature
5 November 2024
Iran student strips in protest over strict hijab dress code
28 October 2024
Inside the anti-woke university where you can’t be cancelled
16 October 2024
Canada’s woke Stasi
16 October 2024
Qur’an burner charged with hate crime in Swedish Court
10 October 2024
Australia’s Misinformation Bill “dead in the water” but similarly dystopian proposals popping up elsewhere
9 October 2024
Fifteen years in jail for “alarming” and “discriminatory” social media posts, as Nicaragua continues crack down on dissent
9 October 2024
Iron bar wielding trans activists arrested at Paris protest over gender-critical book
2 October 2024
The Culture War vs the Legal War
1 October 2024
First Amendment is “major block” to “hammering disinformation out of existence”, US climate envoy tells World Economic Forum
25 September 2024
Iranian writer sentenced to 12 years for tweeting a dot at the supreme leader
27 August 2024
Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested in France
19 August 2024
Cyprus Proposes Five-Year Prison Sentences for Spreading ‘Fake News’
7 August 2024
German court convicts activist for leading ‘from the river to the sea’ chant
7 August 2024
New Zealand nurse targeted over conservative views on transgender issues
4 August 2024
Patriots for Europe demand answers on secret censorship deal offered to Elon Musk
28 July 2024
State Library Victoria surveyed presenters’ social media for political content before terminating contracts, emails show.
21 July 2024
French news channel fined for airing unchallenged negative views about migration and climate change
21 July 2024
Swiss 15 year-old taken into care after parents refuse to legally endorse gender “transition”
19 July 2024
Journalist told to pay damages for “body shaming” Italian PM over her height
17 July 2024
Germany rejects ‘counterspeech doctrine’ in favour of banning right-wing magazine
16 July 2024
Cyprus proposes five-year prison sentences for spreading “fake news”
15 July 2024
EU offered secret “censorship” deal to X, claims Elon Musk
8 July 2024
Germany, cradle of the hate speech law
8 July 2024
Right-wing political party debanked in Germany following “Grandmothers Against the Right” campaign
26 June 2024
Supreme Court Strikes Down Injunction Preventing Government From Pressuring Big Tech to Suppress Free Speech
26 June 2024
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange walks free following plea deal in US court
24 June 2024
UN planning new “Global Principles” to assist states in “eradicating” all forms of ‘hate speech’
19 June 2024
Indian Prime Minister Modi’s allies give the go-ahead for prosecution of Booker winner under controversial terror law
5 June 2024
Elon Musk says “free speech prevailed” after Australia drops bid to impose global ban on ‘harmful’ online material
5 June 2024
Meta ordered to pay damages to shadow banned Flemish MEP
30 May 2024
US Supreme Court unanimously rules to uphold free speech and curb discriminatory de-banking
29 May 2024
“French media illegally discriminates against political Right,” report finds
25 May 2024
Backlash as Muslim children in Italy exempted from studying Dante
22 May 2024
More than half the world cannot speak freely, report finds
21 May 2024
Belgium’s BPost says Conservative-leaning magazine ‘too political’ to work with
21 May 2024
Warsaw Mayor bans display of Christian crosses on public buildings
15 May 2024
Columbia University’s Minouche Shafik showed her true colours when she voted on campus free speech
15 May 2024
Elon Musk wins temporary reprieve for free speech in Australia following court battle
11 May 2024
Sir Salman Rushdie tells Italian PM to “grow up” after slander case
11 May 2024
UN throws out Stonewall’s bid to downgrade “trans hostile” EHRC over trans row
9 May 2024
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging
8 May 2024
Young AfD politician convicted after publishing gang rape statistics in connection with Afghan migration
6 May 2024
US universities denied free speech for years — no wonder chaos reigns
25 April 2024
Irish PM presses ahead with catastrophic hate speech law
23 April 2024
Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen ‘Hate Speech’ Case Appealed to Supreme Court
16 April 2024
Free speech prevails: emergency legal challenge strikes down attempted no-platforming of Conservative conference
10 April 2024
Make universities name secret foreign donors, academics say
4 April 2024
Three years in prison for insulting LGBT folk: Poland prepares new hate speech law
3 April 2024
Stabbed Iranian journalist’s interview with Israeli PM made him “a target for wrath”
29 March 2024
European Commission publishes ‘disinformation’ guidelines for Big Tech
27 March 2024
Government protects freedom of the press, ending UAE bid for Telegraph Media Group
26 March 2024
Threats, fear and surveillance: how Beijing targets students in the UK who criticise regime
26 March 2024
Universities told to protect free speech from foreign state attacks
21 March 2024
Now the EU wants to regulate online influencers
15 March 2024
British academic deplatformed by Canadian government because “you are not allowed to talk about sex in Canada”
14 March 2024
Parliament protects press freedom as foreign powers blocked from owning UK newspapers
11 March 2024
House arrest for people deemed likely to commit hate-crimes in Justin Trudeau’s Canada
9 March 2024
UCL launches investigation over “concerning” decision to ban lecturer from teaching “provocative” China module to protect “commercial interests”
22 February 2024
European Parliament reprimands yet another right-wing MEP over alleged ‘hate speech’
20 February 2024
Germany latest country to float chilling plans to freeze dissenting citizens’ bank accounts
20 February 2024
Harvard Professor needed armed protection after publishing research that challenged woke orthodoxies
15 February 2024
Freedom Convoy protesters to sue Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over frozen bank accounts
6 February 2024
German footballing authorities demand action against fans brandishing ‘gender critical’ banner
1 February 2024
85% of US universities have policies in place that put free speech at risk
31 January 2024
Victims of cancel culture unite for free speech, calling on Ireland to abandon far-reaching censorship bill
27 January 2024
Psychologist Jordan Peterson forced to undergo “political re-education” by professional regulator
27 January 2024
Trudeau government “not justified” in freezing protesters’ bank accounts, court rules
26 January 2024
Elon Musk to fund legal challenges to Irish ‘hate speech’ legislation
24 January 2024
EU's proposed hate speech bill to crackdown on lawful dissent
24 January 2024
The Brussels-led pathologization of speech
22 January 2024
European Parliament Opens ‘Hate Speech’ Investigation Into Yet Another Right-Wing MEP
