Over 50 prominent free speech advocates, including several leading voices from the UK, have written to Elon Musk on his first anniversary as CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, over freedom of speech concerns in the wake of the UK’s Online Safety Law.
In a public letter, now signed by nearly 3,000 people, advocates praised Mr. Musk’s commitment to free speech, acknowledging his previous offer to fund legal support for individuals facing discrimination owing to posts on X.
The letter calls on Mr. Musk to extend his support to those suffering censorship by government authorities for peaceful expression on X.
Last month, the UK’s Online Safety Bill passed its final parliamentary debate, with the government promising that it will be “implemented as quickly as possible.”
Signatories have urged Mr. Musk to allocate funds for legal challenges against state-sponsored censorship, establish an application mechanism for affected individuals on X, and host group discussions on the app to spotlight worldwide censorship cases involving governments and workplaces.
Those to sign so far include Cambridge University academic James Orr, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, Professor Eric Kaufmann of the University of Buckingham, New York Times bestselling author Rod Dreher, Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek, and others.
Governments ‘Cracking Down’ on Freedoms
Ms. Vlaardingerbroek, a prominent political commentator, linked the UK’s Online Safety Law to a broader international trend of curbing freedom of speech.She told The Epoch Times: “There is an international trend noticeable in Western governments in the ‘free West,’ to crack down on freedom of speech under the guise of fighting disinformation and misinformation.
“Basically when you hear a government official or bureaucrat talk about misinformation or disinformation … the real meaning of what they’re saying is always ‘things we don’t like.’
“So ‘we are going to get rid of misinformation’ means ‘we are going to censor dissident voices.’
“And that’s happening in Europe with the Digital Service Act, that’s happening in the UK with this Online Safety LAw, Canada has just passed another terrible piece of legislation that is quite similar.”
Ms. Vlaardingerbroek also praised Mr. Musk for his commitment to preserving freedom of speech on his platform, even under great pressure from regulatory bodies, particularly in Europe.
“There’s something happening all around the Western world to limit our freedom of speech,” she added.
The letter highlights instances of government censorship globally, including the case of Päivi Räsänen in Finland, facing “hate speech” charges for a Bible-verse post on X, and Rodrigo Iván Cortés and Gabriel Quadri in Mexico, convicted for expressing views on biological sex.
‘No One Should Be Punished’
Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International and a signatory to the letter, commended Mr. Musk’s efforts in elevating X as a free and open platform.“No one should be punished under the law for peaceful expression,” he said.
“Ideas should be debated with more ideas, not attacked by the state. Yet across the world, we see increasing evidence of government censorship with very real consequences for people that seek to peacefully exercise their right to free expression.”
Mr. Coleman, author of “Censored,” added: “In the West, speech increasingly is targeted by ‘hate speech’ laws, and on the other side of the coin, in other regions, blasphemy laws target minority groups who speak out against state-approved views.”
“Musk has elevated the standards of X as the world’s meeting place in the digital age. The significance of a free and open platform for sharing information has never been more evident than in recent days.
“His generous offer to support X users who face discrimination at the hands of their employers is commendable. Our request is that he expands this offer to meet the growing challenge of state censorship.”
