In a troubling twist that seems ripped from the pages of a George Orwell novel, Germany has begun to accelerate its repressive speech censorship laws, creating a landscape that evokes chilling memories of its own oppressive history. The German nation, once the epitome of enlightenment and freedom, now appears to be donning a cloak of a police state, reminiscent of the beginnings of 1930s Germany.
The reemergence of such draconian measures raises the haunting specter of thought crime units lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting, and then pouncing on an unsuspecting populace. German prosecutors were quoted as saying “free speech needs boundaries” in an interview that recently aired on CBS’s 60 Minutes. The 60 Minutes interviewer gleefully took part in pre-dawn raids with Germany’s Budespolizei (Federal Police), and watched as they seized laptops, phones and other communications devises of citizens accused of speech crimes.
What irony is it that a county which stood as a beacon against totalitarianism is now engaging in a full-throated embrace of censorship.
Under the guise of protecting “societal harmony”, and “combating hate speech”, Germanys new speech laws have morphed into instruments of oppression. But let’s be clear, this is not about curbing offensive or threatening language, this is about stifling discourse and dismantling debate; the very foundation of democracy itself. In an astonishingly bold move, the government has positioned itself as the arbiter of what constitutes acceptable speech, in violation of its own constitution and recent court decisions.
The establishment of what can only be construed as the thought crimes unit signal the intent to surveil and punish citizens for their beliefs, opinions and online communications, a scenario straight out of George Orwell’s “1984.” The post war ethos that championed freedom of expression has been increasingly eroded by a series of laws aimed at controlling political discourse, suppressing dissent, and vilifying those who challenge the status quo.
Critics of the new laws are often told to “calm down”, “stop overreacting”, to what the government deems “mere regulatory adjustments.” For over three years this has flown under the radar in the United States, simply because the American press has been reluctant to report escalating attempts to resurrect fascism in parts of Europe.
But that all changed on Friday, February 14th, 2025, as America’s Vice President J.D. Vance took center stage at the annual Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich Germany. As America’s second in command began his speech, it was clear from the beginning, the Europeans were in for a good old fashioned public shaming.
Vance, his usual calm, cool and collected self, appeared ready to engage the Europeans on a level that seemed almost cold-war Reaganesque. Only one day prior, an Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowded street of Munich’s citizens, killing two and maiming 37 others. In a fiery speech, Vance declared “there is nothing more urgent than mass migration” as he accused European leaders of both suppressing free speech and allowing record migration to envelop its borders; and threaten Europe’s very existence.
Vance delivered a blunt assessment of government-sanctioned suppression that has become the norm in the E.U. The VP began citing several cases in countries across Western Europe while stating, “The biggest security threat facing Europe was not Russia or China, it’s the threat from within.” He accused many in the room of turning a “blind eye” to the escalating threats against freedom of expression in their own backyards, while simultaneously condemning them for betraying the core values that define us as democratic nations.
Vance invited Europe to awaken from its slumber and welcome the nurturing of ideas, not barricading it with regulatory laws and intimidation; much like America’s previous administration. He pleaded for a pivot away from the so-called “protective measures” it was now embracing and cautioned them of the significance of continuing the despotic trend.
The dignitaries in the audience seemed to be taken aback by the VPs aggressive tone, but it was something that the pompous European leaders needed to hear face-to-face, as he reminded them “there’s a new Sheriff in town”, referring to President Donald J Trump. The consequences for allowing this authoritarian trend to flourish could be dire for all of Europe, he stated. History has proven time and time again, that when free speech is muted; as Ronald Reagan was quoted as saying; “you start taking the first steps into a thousand years of darkness.”
The rise of the speech police in Europe echoes eerily with historical precedents. Let us never forget the power of propaganda and the terrifying efficiency with which the Nazi’s silenced dissenting voices. If there were ever a people on this planet that should know better than to go down this repressive path, it’s the Germans.
J.D. Vance deserves our highest praises for effectively delivering a message that needed to be stated; but more importantly, needed to be heard loud and clear by the entire world.
