The European Union likes to present itself as a community ‘United in diversity’. Historically, this phrase reflected the Union’s foundation on cooperation between diverse nations and political cultures. However, the EU’s evolution has gradually hollowed out the motto’s meaning. Diversity of opinion—once celebrated as a democratic virtue—is now increasingly viewed by Brussels as a threat. The newly released EU Censorship Files reveal the extent of this shift.
Ironically, to understand how EU politics functions today, it is helpful to look across the Atlantic. In the ‘land of the free, home of the brave,’ Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Big Tech to investigate how foreign censorship laws might restrict Americans’ free speech rights. Thousands of internal documents and communications between tech companies and European regulators—released publicly for the first time—paint a clear picture: Europe has spent the past decade constructing a system of global control over online narratives.
That this happened is not surprising. The scale of it is.
Censorship
While Americans continue to uphold a strong belief in free speech, modern Europe has adopted a more technical approach—one focused on ‘right’ speech rather than free speech; one that censors expression strategically and discreetly.
This usually manifests as either direct government bans or the creation of new categories of criminalized victims. The latter, often referred to as ‘hate speech’ legislation, has become the preferred tool for incremental restrictions on expression. Western Europe offers numerous examples. Most recently, the French government raided X’s Paris office over alleged ‘antisemitism’; a convenient target, since the platform’s owner had publicly warned about the censorship risks within the EU’s Digital Services Act.
This trend is clear: what was once rare has become increasingly common. Not just against individuals, but entire political movements. The EU Censorship Files demonstrate how the EU has systematically attempted, and often succeeded, in censoring populists and nationalists.
The documents reveal that the EU actively targeted legal content challenging its agenda and interfered in at least eight European elections by pressuring platforms to suppress political speech before the vote. Everything from ‘anti-EU’ and ‘anti-government’ posts to satire and memes was flagged for removal. Between 2022 and 2024, the Commission organized more than 90 meetings under the Disinformation Code, urging platforms to tighten their moderation rules globally.
According to the House Judiciary GOP’s account on X, the process began as early as 2015, when the European Commission created ‘codes’ and ‘forums’ designed to pressure platforms into more aggressive moderation. These mechanisms were marketed as ‘voluntary’ and based on ‘consensus’. They were neither. By 2020, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Věra Jourová were instructing platforms to change their rules and remove content questioning official narratives about COVID‑19 and vaccines.
One example is particularly revealing. In Romania, a court annulled the 2024 presidential election, citing alleged Russian interference via TikTok. Yet the platform itself informed the Commission that it had found ‘no evidence of a coordinated Russian campaign’ supporting the winning candidate, Călin Georgescu. This does not prove that Russia played no role at all—but it does indicate that this was not the central issue.
Instead, it is the other way around. It is the leaders of our so-called Union who are censoring our rights, who mislead us, and who do not respect national sovereignty.
The Real Reason America Is Doing This
With all the above stated, it would be naïve to think that the GOP is doing this out of concern for European citizens’ individual rights—or for our democracies. Quite the opposite.
A divided Europe is easier to influence, pressure, and control. Anyone who reads the US National Security Strategy will recognize that Washington’s concern for Europeans’ ‘free speech’ is about as sincere as its concern for Danish military protection. The priority, as always, is American interests.
This includes ensuring that American Big Tech companies can operate freely in Europe, just as Washington wants American military and economic power to expand in other spheres.
‘A divided Europe is easier to influence, pressure, and control’
Nothing under the sun is new.
The European Commission’s actions, both directly and through its agencies, are deeply troubling. In any standard system, officials responsible for such measures would be dismissed or even prosecuted, though this remains unlikely. At the same time, it is essential not to be naïve about America, MAGA, or US strategic interests.
Washington has never sought a strong, independent Europe; it has only sought compliant allies. And right now, for better or worse, they are not completely complying; that’s why they are showing willingness to exert considerable pressure on us.
And with the current leadership in Brussels, Europe is certainly not becoming the strong continent it needs to be. Only through cooperation, and through the preservation of our particularities, can we hope to become a home of the brave and a land of the free, which means free nations and individuals.
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