Vance critical of German prosecutor attack speech

 NY Post:

Vice President JD Vance slammed German prosecutors on Monday for “criminalizing speech” — including the reposting of false information — and warned that the worsening trend will “strain” Europe’s relations with America.

Vance, 40, lashed out at prosecutors who took part in a fawning feature by CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on how easily one can commit online hate crimes in Germany — just three days after the vice president scolded European leaders for stifling dissent, religious liberty and free speech in an address at the Munich Security Conference.

“Insulting someone is not a crime, and criminalizing speech is going to put real strain on European-US relationships,” Vance posted on X.
...

“This is Orwellian, and everyone in Europe and the US must reject this lunacy,” the vice president fumed, sharing a video of Dr. Matthäus Fink, Svenja Meininghaus and Frank-Michael Laue’s interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi.

“Is it a crime to insult somebody in public?” asked Alfonsi.
...

In his Munich speech Friday, Vance tore into officials at the European Union and elsewhere for policing “hateful content,” citing the cancellation of a presidential election in Romania and arresting Christians for praying silently outside abortion clinics in the United Kingdom.

“The threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor,” he said. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, values shared with the United States of America.”

“I believe deeply that there is no security if you’re afraid of the voices, the opinions and the conscience that guide your very own people,” Vance added. “You cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail.”

Criminalizing speech is usually the act of a totalitarian regime.  They apparently believe that their grasp on power is so weak that they must not allow the opposition to criticize them. 

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