Defenders of Free Speech

📊 DFSbase Digest May 19-22, 2026 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🚫 No joke: Daily Mash banned from Facebook because platform doesn't get irony (pressgazette.co.uk/social_media/d…) Satirical publication banned by Facebook's moderation systems unable to recognize satirical content. Censorship of legitimate comedy and political commentary. 🔒 BBC – Instagram removes message encryption (bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/press-coverage…) Meta removing end-to-end encryption features from Instagram, undermining user privacy and security protections. 💰 ITN launches paid subscriptions on Youtube to support archive content (pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/bro…) Major broadcaster moves historical content behind paywall, restricting public access to archival journalism. ⚖️ Lawyer for press victims says media standards have improved (pressgazette.co.uk/media_law/lawy…) Press standards progress report shows improvements in accountability, but ongoing concerns about regulatory effectiveness. 📰 Local newsletter network The Lead buys Stoke-on-Trent title (pressgazette.co.uk/the-wire/media…) Consolidation of local journalism continues as independent newsletter networks acquire traditional local titles. 🇫🇷 France 💶 French political title Contexte hits first profit on revenue of €12.9m (pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/b2b…) Specialist political journalism publication achieves financial sustainability, demonstrating viability of in-depth coverage models.

The European Parliament says journalism is “democratic infrastructure” — yet its own AgoraEU draft gives the Journalism and Information strand just 11.7% of the €10.72bn envelope, or about €1.25bn over seven years. The EFJ says that falls far short of the political ambition being claimed. Brussels loves saying the right words about press freedom, independent journalism, and democracy. But when it comes to funding, journalism still gets treated like an afterthought while the EU builds out its wider cultural and civil-society machine. europeanjournalists.org/blog/2026/05/1…

Scottish authorities have now dropped any attempt to appeal the acquittal of 75-year-old Catholic grandmother Rose Docherty after her arrest for quietly offering conversation near a “buffer zone.” Think about how absurd this became: police resources, court time, and public money spent targeting an elderly woman over peaceful expression. Now Rose is considering legal action against the police over her treatment with the support of @ADFIntl This case has become a symbol of how vague speech restrictions and overzealous enforcement can turn ordinary citizens into targets of the state.

Jesus Christ. What kind of illness is this? Meanwhile in Armenia, the authorities are openly targeting the Church and imprisoning clergy for political reasons, and at this point I honestly don’t even know what’s worse anymore x.com/DFSbase/status… The world has completely lost its mind.

🚨🇧🇪People dressed as dogs are marching through the streets of Antwerp, Belgium. Europe is being destroyed not only by mass migration, but also by total societal degeneration.

🚨🇪🇺“We must consider temporarily suspending social media.” That is what EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Copenhagen. Think about how extraordinary that is. Unelected officials in Brussels are now openly floating the idea of shutting down digital public spaces whenever they decide circumstances justify it. First it was “misinformation.” Then “harmful content.” Now the conversation is moving toward outright suspension. Governments that fear open debate always begin by claiming restrictions are temporary and necessary.

@Gdams70 How much further can this possibly go? People in France are already being arrested over social media posts and memes. The whole thing is completely absurd. x.com/DFSbase/status… And apparently even that still isn’t enough for them.

🚨🇪🇺 ALERTE CENSURE « Nous devons envisager de suspendre temporairement le fonctionnement des réseaux sociaux. » Ursula von der Leyen l’a dit. Pas en privé, pas en off : devant les caméras, avec ce ton docte qui pue le mépris. Regardez la vidéo : elle est là, impeccable, presque souriante, à nous expliquer que la technologie « pénètre chaque recoin de l’enfance et de l’adolescence ». Comme si les vrais dangers venaient de nos écrans et non de la gabegie financière, de l’insécurité importée ou de la dépossession nationale qu’elle orchestre depuis des années. Sous couvert de protéger nos enfants, cette femme qui n’a jamais été élue par aucun Français veut nous imposer une législation cet été. Traduction : contrôle accru, vérification d’âge, censure rampante. La même Commission qui nous impose le Green Deal ruineux et le Pacte migratoire suicidaire veut maintenant décider ce que nos ados peuvent lire ou partager. Assez. La France n’est pas une colonie de Bruxelles. La liberté d’expression n’est pas négociable. Qu’en pensez-vous, patriotes ? RT si vous refusez ce nouveau bâillon. 🔥🇫🇷 #StopCensure #FranceLibre #UECorrompue

🚨IT'S OFFICIAL: Elon Musk is sounding the alarm that Hungary has FALLEN to Soros Right-wing PM Viktor Orban just lost the national election, and Alex Soros — son of George Soros — is celebrating ELON: "Soros Organization has taken over Hungary" The people will REGRET THIS!

The government is looking for any excuse to tighten control and expand censorship. They hide behind slogans like “online safety” and “protecting children” — whatever they can use to justify more surveillance, more restrictions on speech, and more power for the state: x.com/DFSbase/status… It’s all about controlling dissent and staying in power.

The UK government's digital ID proposals triggered widespread public opposition, but a cross-party committee now claims the backlash stemmed from how digital ID was presented rather than the technology itself. "MPs believe that government may still be able to introduce digital ID successfully if it changes strategy."

🚨 RELEASED: ELECTION INTERFERENCE IN EUROPE — A GERMANY INVESTIGATION Following my previous investigation in Romania, this documentary takes the investigation further — speaking with German politicians, MEPs and other voices regarding allegations of political pressure, censorship and interference affecting democratic processes in Europe. This report includes multiple interviews, perspectives and on-the-ground reporting. Watch. Assess the information. Decide for yourself.

🚨🇬🇧Meet 23-year-old Vikrum Digwa — the man who brutally stabbed Henry Nowak, an 18-year-old student who later died. Henry Nowak was stabbed five times, and bodycam footage shows police handcuffing the dying victim after the suspect claimed he had been racially abused. Digwa was openly carrying a large 21 cm (8-inch) shastar (Punjabi for weapon/knife) in a sheath over his clothing. He also had a smaller kirpan (ceremonial knife) under his clothes, worn around his neck. Prosecutors noted that the smaller kirpan would satisfy Sikh religious obligations for carrying a blade, implying that the larger one was not required for that purpose. Henry was lying there, choking on his own blood and begging for help, but the police chose to arrest him and let him bleed out on the street.

Abso-fucking-lutely. The government will use any excuse to tighten control and expand censorship. “Online safety” and “protecting children” are just cover for more surveillance and more speech restrictions: x.com/DFSbase/status… It’s all about suppressing dissent and staying in power.

BREAKING: UK has become very dangerous place the free speech, who speaks for fights is imprisoned.

🇬🇧Innocent old man arrested by 15 police Gestapo officers on Two Tier Keir’s new Policing orders. The very elderly and disabled man even asked for help into the van and the arsehole copper refused.

But who cares, right? The government is too busy looking for new excuses to tighten control and stay in power. And Germany isn’t the only example. The British government is using “child protection” as a pretext to pressure and control X x.com/DFSbase/status… while in France people are facing years in prison over social media posts the authorities don’t like x.com/DFSbase/status… That’s the direction Europe is heading.

🚨🇩🇪 Alice Weidel just said what MILLIONS of Germans are thinking: “Germany is de facto NOT being governed.” Open borders. Economic collapse. The political elite lost control a long time ago and everyone can see it now.

And of course, mainstream media barely talks about any of this. Silence is easier than admitting what’s happening.

🚨🇬🇧BREAKING: An 18-year-old Southampton university student, Henry, has died after being repeatedly stabbed by 23-year-old Vikrum Digwa Henry Nowak gasping for air and begging for help while telling officers he had just been stabbed, only for officers to dismiss him by stating, “I don’t think you have, mate,” while arresting him for “racial abuse.” Henry then passed out and died in the street. Insanity.

Abso-fucking-lutely. The government is looking for any excuse to tighten control and expand censorship. They hide behind slogans like “online safety” and “protecting children” — whatever they can use to justify more surveillance, more restrictions on speech, and more power for the state: x.com/DFSbase/status… It’s all about controlling dissent and staying in power.

Leaks happen. The Online Safety Act means you're handing over your data to companies that may get hacked. This isn't safe.

Bravo! Couldn’t have said it better. 👏👏👏👏 And this doesn’t apply only to Ireland, but to all of Europe. Governments are desperately looking for someone to blame for their disastrous policies — while also using the crisis as justification for more censorship and tighter control. France is already showing exactly how that model works x.com/DFSbase/status…

🚨WOW! 🇮🇪 Irish politician Ken O’Flynn just went NUCLEAR on the Irish Government: “You blame Trump for everything, but he doesn’t run this Country. YOU introduced the Carbon Tax. YOU turned the Army on the people. If any of you have a backbone, vote to collapse this Government.” ✅

Every major censorship push starts with an emotionally untouchable justification. Today it’s “protecting children.” Tomorrow it’s restricting “harmful content,” policing opinions, and silencing political dissent x.com/DFSbase/status… The UK government is normalizing state control over digital spaces step by step.

🚨 WARNING: Keir Starmer is preparing to launch a massive government crackdown on social media under the disguise of "protecting the children." Campaigners are pushing for an Australia style ban to block under 16s from the internet. Do not be fooled for a second. This is a Trojan horse. 🧵👇