Free Republic

Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim’s first priority has been a bill to define ‘Islamophobia’. The most notable thing about his bill SB 624 ‘Assault and battery; definition of “Islamophobia”, penalty’ is how completely unnecessary it is. Virginia already has multiple layers of hate crimes enhancements for assaults motivated by race, ethnicity and religion. During Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s term, the legislature has already passed SB 7 (Senate Bill 7) and its counterpart enhancing the assault charge for anyone who “intentionally selects the person against whom a simple assault is committed because of his race, religious conviction, gender, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation,...

BRASÍLIA (9 February 2026) — A Brazilian woman, Isadora Borges, is facing criminal prosecution after posting comments on social media expressing her views on gender ideology, exposing her to a possible prison sentence of four to ten years. In November 2020, Isadora Borges made two posts on X (then Twitter), peacefully expressing her views against gender ideology. One comment stated that “transgender” women “were obviously born male.” Another stated: “A person who identifies as transgender retains their birth DNA. No surgery, synthetic hormone, or clothing change will change this fact…” Her comments quickly gained attention online, and prompted Erika Hilton,...

A media ratings website is suing the Federal Trade Commission for investigating alleged efforts to blacklist conservative news outlets, in a clash that is effectively dueling accusations of censorship. NewsGuard Technologies sued the FTC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday, alleging the Trump administration was trying to censor it, “simply out of disagreement with NewsGuard’s First Amendment-protected journalistic judgments about the reliability of news sources.” “Under the guise of a supposed antitrust investigation, the FTC has demanded all documents (memos, emails, texts, reporters’ notes, subscriber lists, analyses, financial reports, and more) that NewsGuard has...

The House Judiciary Committee’s recent findings present a simple but unsettling conclusion. American speech is being curtailed in the United States, not because Congress has changed the First Amendment, but because foreign governments have learned how to route around it. Europe’s Digital Services Act, presented as a domestic regulatory framework, has in practice become a lever for global speech control. Its effects now reach deep into the American public square. To see how this happens, begin with a basic fact about the modern internet. Major platforms operate with global content moderation rules. They do so not out of ideology but...

Senator Saddam claims that Virginia is in the middle of an ‘Islamophobia’ crisis. The second Muslim selected for the state senate, after Ghazala Hashmi, who is now acting as Virginia’s Lt. Governor, the Bangladeshi immigrant, from a country where non-Muslims are being murdered in the streets, has made complaining about ‘Islamophobia’ in his new home his signature issue. Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim’s first priority has been a bill to define ‘Islamophobia’. The most notable thing about his bill SB 624 ‘Assault and battery; definition of “Islamophobia”, penalty’ is how completely unnecessary it is. Virginia already has multiple layers of hate...

Pedro Sánchez’s government is pushing dangerous new regulations that threaten your internet freedoms. Announced just yesterday, these measures could turn Spain into a surveillance state under the guise of “protection.” Here’s why they’re a red flag for free speech and privacy: 1. Ban on social media for under-16s with mandatory age verification: This isn’t just about kids—it requires platforms to use strict checks, like needing IDs or biometrics. ⚠️ Danger: It sets a precedent for tracking EVERY user’s identity, eroding anonymity and opening doors to mass data collection. What starts with minors could expand to all, stifling open discourse. 2....

A set of internal documents published by the Republican members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee (Judiciary GOP) has sent shockwaves through Brussels. Released under the title The EU Censorship Files, Part II, the investigation presents documentary evidence of a sustained strategy by the European Commission to influence public debate on social media and digital platforms, pressuring major tech companies to censor lawful content, alter their internal rules, and restrict certain political viewpoints. https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/2018683758006665352 The revelations go far beyond an abstract debate over content moderation. According to the material made public, the Commission has directly or indirectly intervened in at...

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced sweeping plans at the World Government Summit in Dubai to hold social media executives criminally liable and curb platform algorithms, prompting a sharp and profane response from X owner Elon Musk. Sánchez laid out five measures in a speech, with implementation set to begin next week. "Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain," Musk wrote on X, using an explicit insult and a poop emoji. Sánchez framed the proposals by describing social media as a lawless digital ecosystem, arguing that platforms have become a "failed state" where disinformation, hate...

BRITISH POLICE ARREST WRONG MAN - THIS IS INSANE Conservative holds a debate on a University campus on Deportations Leftist student ATTACKS HIM Uni staff help THE ATTACKER Police say Conservative SHOULD NOT HAVE DEBATED Police then ARREST Conservative man Absolute Disgrace

Meet ‘Amelia’: the AI-generated British schoolgirl who is a far-right social media star The avatar, created to deter young people from extremism, has been subverted and is breaking out of niche online silos Ben Quinn Political correspondent Sun 25 Jan 2026 04.00 EST Share In certain corners of the internet, on niche news feeds and algorithms, an AI-generated British schoolgirl has emerged as something of a phenomenon. Her name is Amelia, a purple-haired “goth girl” who proudly carries a mini union flag and appears to have a penchant for racism. If you are unfamiliar with Amelia, the chances are you...

Imagine the internet suddenly stops working. Payment systems in your local food store go down. Healthcare systems in the regional hospital flatline. Your work software tools, and all the information they contain, disappear. You reach out for information but struggle to communicate with family and friends, or to get the latest updates on what is happening, as social media platforms are all down. Just as someone can pull the plug on your computer, it’s possible to shut down the system it connects to. This isn’t an outlandish scenario. Technical failures, cyber-attacks and natural disasters can all bring down key parts...

Bill Whittle is my favorite Conservative voice, and in this linked video he discusses a new trend that is apparently spreading over the Internet, and it highlights the efforts on the European governments (in this case, British) attempts to crack down on Internet speech.The British government has released a series of animated "instructional" interactive cartoons online which are intended to indoctrinate people in what Orwell called Goodthink in his seminal work, 1984 which is what the government feels is the "right" way to think about certain issues. (I believe the videos are called Pathways because the user can select different...

European users, institutions, and tech firms face a new social media option built around mandatory identity checks and EU regulation. European backers have formally unveiled W, a new social media platform designed to operate entirely under European law and infrastructure, positioning itself as a verified alternative to X. The service was introduced publicly in Davos, Switzerland, during events surrounding the annual World Economic Forum, and is intended for rollout across the European Union and other markets. All users will be required to complete identity and photo verification before participating. The launch is significant as Europe tightens enforcement of digital platform...

In record time, Dutch student Eva Vlaardingerbroek has become an international far right influencer. Her tweets on X are gaining an audience of millions from retweets by Elon Musk. But who is this young woman and what is her message? Little in her past seemed to indicate that Eva Vlaardingerbroek would have so much influence at the age of only 27. Her career to date has been comprised of short-lived extremist engagements, from her membership of the far right Forum for Democracy and a brief love affair with party leader Thierry Baudet; her links to a legal firm; and her...

If you recall, in 2022, a convoy of Canadian truckers blocked traffic in Ottawa to protest the ongoing Covid mandates of the totalitarian Canadian government: Mandates that were crushing their homes, families, and finances. The Canadian government, led by former PM Justin Trudeau, responded with force, declaring the assembly dangerous. Here were a few of the "terrorizing" scenes from the truckers that probably scared Trudeau senseless. Faced with cheerful singing and inflatable bouncy houses, Trudeau had no choice. He invoked emergency powers to freeze the bank accounts of the truckers, ensuring they couldn't pay their bills or feed their families....

If Britain Bans X, How Far Will It Go To Block Free Speech? COMMENTARY By Ted NewsonJanuary 15, 2026 If Britain Bans X, How Far Will It Go To Block Free Speech?AP In what appears to be a rolling back on free speech and citizen journalism, Britain is fast-tracking a law that will ban non-consensual intimate deepfake images. This is likely aimed at the social media site X.com after its AI assistant Grok allegedly generated inappropriate images. In the scope of the global news cycle and a further ban potentially on the table, the move couldn’t be more poorly timed....

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Violent rioters favoring monarchy vandalized public and private properties in a number of cities across Iran on Thursday night, inflicting injuries on ordinary people and security forces. The violent unrest that erupted in a number of Iranian cities on Thursday night caused damages to the government buildings, private shops, and even mosques. The rioters backing monarchy vandalized public properties, blocked streets, attacked the administrative buildings and Police stations, and injured a number of security and law enforcement forces. In remarks on Friday morning, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said the vandals have destroyed...

@RupertLowe10 It looks like Starmer is seriously considering a ban on X. I will protest against this on the streets of London. I hope you will all join me.

The Government has urged online watchdog Ofcom to use its powers to block access to X, formerly Twitter, in a dramatic escalation in tensions with the tech billionaire Elon Musk. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall issued a statement telling the regulator that it had the “full support” of ministers to use its powers to block UK users from gaining access to the social media site.

A Paris court found Monday 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false online claims about her gender and sexuality, including allegations she was born a man. One defendant was sentenced to six months in prison, while eight were handed suspended sentences between two and eight months. All 10 were mandated to attend cyberbullying awareness training. The court pointed to "particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious" comments referring to false claims regarding alleged trans identity and alleged pedo criminality targeting Brigitte Macron. "Repeated publications have had cumulative harmful effects," the court said. The defendants, eight men...