Senior State Department officials are set to visit Europe and address free speech concerns this week, according to a news report.
A senior State Department official told The Daily Wire that the trip to France and Ireland is part of the department’s attempt to fight âegregious examples of democratic backslidingâ and âviolations of basic natural rightsâ in Europe, the news outlet reported Monday.
The departmentâs Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor launched the initiative and is focusing on defending freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to privacy.
The official explained that France and Ireland âclaim to be bastions of democracy, theyâre so-called liberal democracies that preach inclusivity and tolerance and progress, and the reality on the ground just simply shows that isnât the case.â
The State Department delegation will meet with French government officials regarding the recent arrest of French politician Marine Le Pen. While in Ireland, the State Department officials will discuss concerns about a new European Union law possibly being used to censor free speech.
âItâs not a coincidence that these kinds of global forces are using similar tactics to those that were used on this side of the Atlantic against President Trump and his supporters over the past eight years,â the State Department official said.
âIn the spirit of our common culture or common Western heritage, that champions natural rights and free speech, we think we can speak frankly with our European allies about these real concerns,â according to the official. âIf weâre not on the same page civilizationally, if weâre not on the same page politically, if weâre not on the same page values-wise, it makes those very important relationships much harder to guarantee.â
In March, Le Pen, a conservative and presumptive presidential candidate for the right-wing National Rally party, was quickly charged and found guilty of embezzlement, placed on house arrest, and banned from seeking elected office for five years.
Meanwhile, the EU legislation that State Department officials will focus on in Ireland is the Digital Services Act, which will impact American companies based in Ireland, especially technology companies.
The law is purported to protect children by moderating online content and harmful practices like child pornography, but in reality, it has been used to target political speech deemed to be hateful or offensive by European governments, according to the State Department official. If U.S. social media companies don’t conform to the censorship rules, then they will face heavy fines.
âItâs obviously being weaponized, for political purposes,â the official said.
