The French say that they love freedom. It’s right there in the national motto. "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité."
But if they love freedom, they apparently only love it for themselves.
Consider the behavior of one of its top diplomats, Thierry Breton, a European Commissioner. He has just sent a letter threatening legal action against Elon Musk’s X in response to Musk’s announcement that he will livestream an interview with Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight.
“I am writing to you in the context of recent events,” writes Breton, “and in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of a live conversation between a US and presidential candidate and yourself, which will also be accessible to users in the EU.”
Breton is a former military contractor turned European Commissioner in charge of the EU’s censorship of social media platforms. In his letter, Breton suggests that Musk’s interview with Trump could provoke the kind of anti-immigrant riots that occurred recently in London.
Breton specifically implies that Trump could incite violence in the EU. Breton warns Musk against “the amplification of harmful content in connection with relevant events, including live streaming,” which “might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.”
The letter from Breton has already resulted in widespread news media coverage in the United States. “EU warns Elon Musk on Hate Speech Before Trump Interview,” reads the Politico headline. “EU warns Elon Musk ahead of Trump interview to keep hate speech off X,” says CNBC. “EU reminds Elon Musk of digital disinformation law ahead of Trump interview,” says the National Desk, a Sinclair publication.
Breton thus created a round of media coverage suggesting that the prestigious European Union has identified Trump as a purveyor of hate speech and disinformation. And yet the interview has not yet occurred, Breton presents no evidence that Trump will be a source of disinformation or hate speech, and there is no evidence of any link whatsoever between Trump and the recent riots in Britain.
As such, Breton's letter could constitute a form of foreign interference in the upcoming US presidential elections.
