In Galileo’s day the power of the government was supported by the clerical hierarchy through the use of fear preached from the pulpit.
Today the power of the government is supported by the intelligentsia hierarchy through the use of fear promoted via the media.
There is some difference in that then the opinions of ordinary individuals holding forth in the alehouse or on the street corner were largely ignored. Now, the same sort of individual holding forth on social media may become influential enough to invite official suppression.
Any government anywhere trying to enforce one version of ‘Truth’ over another leads to evil. Governments can’t be moral, the most one can hope for is one that doesn’t actively do evil more than not. Anyone who wants to have power, authority, control, or influence over others I do and shall consider evil and only concerned with their ownself aggrandizement, Good people don’t go into politics.