Was President Biden’s recent trip to Ireland the reason that country is the latest to mount an attack on Freedom of Speech?
Tesla and Twitter billionaire CEO Elon Musk is leading the verbal attack against proposed legislation that would make criminals of those who possessed or disseminated “so-called” hate material as defined by the Irish government.
Musk calls the proposed legislation a “massive attack against freedom of speech.”
Under the proposed legislation, the justice system can say someone has hate material if it thinks they do. The fear is that the Irish government could find any Irish citizen guilty of a thought crime.
In other words, you’re presumed guilty if the court thinks your thoughts might incite someone to violence or hatred of a person or group, punishable but up to five years in prison.
There was much debate in the Irish progressive Parliament, yet the bill shows no signs of being defeated and may soon become law in Ireland.
Musk’s condemnation of the legislation was downplayed by the Irish elite, who reportedly have no admiration for the South African billionaire entrepreneur.
Last year Ireland’s president Michael D. Higgins denounced Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, calling it a form of dictatorship.
There were threats that if Elon Musk refused to keep the steamrolling censorship juggernaut rolling in the European Union, he and his platform would be removed from the European bloc.
The years of Facebook and Twitter’s censorship assault on right-wing and conservative voices were of no concern to the Irish president until Musk acquired the social media platform. Even banning US President Donald Trump was not worthy of protection by the Irish leader.
Musk has a significant presence in Dublin, Ireland, where his European Twitter headquarters is located. The regulatory body in Ireland exerts extreme control over Twitter postings and actions in the European Union.
Some Irish newspapers are accepting payment from the Irish government to post pro-propaganda European Union news making their objectivity suspect.
The Irish Independent newspaper published the wonderful benefits of Irish green policy plans, their immigration policies, and their bloc’s Single Market.
