Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, or BfV), recently dropped a political hammer on the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) by officially designating the entire party as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” group. This dramatic move now allows German authorities to increase surveillance on the AfD—phone tapping,…
Trump, Columbia, and the Fine Line Between Security and Free Speech
President Trump’s administration recently made a bold move, cutting $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University over what it described as antisemitic harassment on campus. At the same time, U.S. immigration agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student involved in pro-Palestinian protests, as part of a broader crackdown on anti-Israel activists. These actions…
JD Vance Is Right About Europe’s Free Speech Problem—But Let’s Keep the Comparisons Straight
Last week in Munich, Vice President JD Vance made waves with his blunt criticism of Europe’s growing hostility toward free speech. His remarks were direct, unvarnished, and—most importantly—true. He called out the European Union and several of its member states for cracking down on speech under the guise of fighting “hate” and “disinformation.” Predictably, European…
The Independent Christian Conservative 