VP Vance Warns Europe Against Censorship During Munich Security Conference Speech

Vance The freedom to ░░░░░░░░ to make mistakes to ░░░░░░░░ to build as it ░░░░░░░░ out you can t ░░░░░░░░ innovation or creativity just ░░░░░░░░ you can t force ░░░░░░░░ what to think what ░░░░░░░░ feel or what to ░░░░░░░░ and we believe those ░░░░░░░░ are certainly connected And ░░░░░░░░ when I look at ░░░░░░░░ today it s sometimes ░░░░░░░░ so clear what happened ░░░░░░░░ some of the Cold ░░░░░░░░ s winners I look ░░░░░░░░ Brussels where EU commissars ░░░░░░░░ citizens that they intend ░░░░░░░░ shut down social media ░░░░░░░░ times of civil unrest ░░░░░░░░ moment they spot what ░░░░░░░░ ve judged to be ░░░░░░░░ content Or to this ░░░░░░░░ country where police have ░░░░░░░░ out raids against citizens ░░░░░░░░ of posting anti feminist ░░░░░░░░ online as part of ░░░░░░░░ misogyny on the internet ░░░░░░░░ day of action I ░░░░░░░░ to Sweden where two ░░░░░░░░ ago the government convicted ░░░░░░░░ Christian activist for participating ░░░░░░░░ Koran burnings that resulted ░░░░░░░░ his friend s murder ░░░░░░░░ the judge in his ░░░░░░░░ chillingly noted Sweden s ░░░░░░░░ to supposedly protect free ░░░░░░░░ do not in fact ░░░░░░░░ and I m quoting ░░░░░░░░ free pass to do ░░░░░░░░ say anything without risking ░░░░░░░░ the group that holds ░░░░░░░░ belief And perhaps most ░░░░░░░░ I look to our ░░░░░░░░ dear friends the United ░░░░░░░░ where the backslide away ░░░░░░░░ conscience rights has placed ░░░░░░░░ basic liberties of religious ░░░░░░░░ s in particular in ░░░░░░░░ crosshairs A little over ░░░░░░░░ years ago the British ░░░░░░░░ charged Adam Smith Connor ░░░░░░░░ 51 year old physiotherapist ░░░░░░░░ an army veteran with ░░░░░░░░ heinous crime of standing ░░░░░░░░ meters from an abortion ░░░░░░░░ and silently praying for ░░░░░░░░ minutes not obstructing anyone ░░░░░░░░ interacting with anyone just ░░░░░░░░ praying on his own ░░░░░░░░ British law enforcement spotted ░░░░░░░░ and demanded to know ░░░░░░░░ he was praying for ░░░░░░░░ replied simply it was ░░░░░░░░ behalf of the unborn ░░░░░░░░ He and his former ░░░░░░░░ had aborted years before ░░░░░░░░ the officers we re ░░░░░░░░ moved Adam was found ░░░░░░░░ of breaking the government ░░░░░░░░ new buffer zones law ░░░░░░░░ criminalizes silent prayer and ░░░░░░░░ actions that could influence ░░░░░░░░ person s decision within ░░░░░░░░ meters of an abortion ░░░░░░░░ He was sentenced to ░░░░░░░░ thousands of pounds in ░░░░░░░░ costs to the prosecution ░░░░░░░░ I wish I could ░░░░░░░░ that this was a ░░░░░░░░ a one off crazy ░░░░░░░░ of a badly written ░░░░░░░░ being enacted against a ░░░░░░░░ person but no This ░░░░░░░░ October just a few ░░░░░░░░ ago the Scottish government ░░░░░░░░ distributing letters to citizens ░░░░░░░░ houses lay within so ░░░░░░░░ safe access zones warning ░░░░░░░░ that even private prayer ░░░░░░░░ their homes may amount ░░░░░░░░ breaking the law Naturally ░░░░░░░░ government urged readers to ░░░░░░░░ any fellow citizens suspected ░░░░░░░░ of thought crime In ░░░░░░░░ and across Europe free ░░░░░░░░ I fear is in ░░░░░░░░ And in the interests ░░░░░░░░ comedy my friends but ░░░░░░░░ in the interests of ░░░░░░░░ I will admit that ░░░░░░░░ the loudest voices for ░░░░░░░░ have come not from ░░░░░░░░ Europe but from within ░░░░░░░░ own country where the ░░░░░░░░ administration threatened and bullied ░░░░░░░░ media companies to censor ░░░░░░░░ called misinformation Misinformation like ░░░░░░░░ example the idea that ░░░░░░░░ had likely leaked from ░░░░░░░░ laboratory in China Our ░░░░░░░░ government encouraged private companies ░░░░░░░░ silence people who dared ░░░░░░░░ utter what turned out ░░░░░░░░ be an obvious truth ░░░░░░░░ I come here today ░░░░░░░░ just with an observation ░░░░░░░░ with an offer Just ░░░░░░░░ the Biden Administration seemed ░░░░░░░░ to silence people for ░░░░░░░░ their minds so the ░░░░░░░░ Administration will do precisely ░░░░░░░░ opposite and I hope ░░░░░░░░ we can work together ░░░░░░░░ that In Washington there ░░░░░░░░ a new sheriff in ░░░░░░░░ and under Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ leadership we may disagree ░░░░░░░░ your views but we ░░░░░░░░ fight to defend your ░░░░░░░░ to offer it in ░░░░░░░░ public square agree or ░░░░░░░░