The Greatest Danger
VP JD Vance calls out the attacks on Freedom of Speech in EU
At the Munich Security Conference, Vice President JD Vance didn’t hold back when he called out European leaders for cracking down on free speech. He laid it out plain and simple—Europe’s not just facing threats from the outside, but from within. Here are three big takeaways from his speech:
Slapping the "Disinformation" Label on Dissent – Vance said European leaders are using words like “misinformation” and “disinformation” as weapons to shut people up. Instead of debating ideas, they just slap a label on something they don’t like and try to bury it. He warned that when governments decide what’s “true” and what’s not, free speech goes out the window.
Locking People Up for Speaking Their Mind – He pointed to real examples—like a Christian in Sweden who got convicted for burning a Quran and a man in the UK who got arrested just for praying near an abortion clinic. Vance said these aren’t just random cases, but signs that Europe is punishing people for thinking differently. If free speech only exists for ideas the government approves, then it’s not really free speech at all.
Cancelling Elections in the Name of “Democracy” – Vance was especially fired up about Romania canceling its presidential election, claiming it was due to foreign interference. He said if a democracy is so weak that an outside influence can bring it down, then it wasn’t a real democracy to begin with. Instead of fixing problems, leaders are just pulling the plug on elections, which makes people trust them even less.
Vance made it clear—Europe’s biggest threat isn’t coming from Russia or China, but from leaders who are chipping away at basic freedoms. If free speech keeps getting pushed aside, he warned, the West won’t stay free for long.