“Across the world, censorship is on the march.” That’s the observation Paul Coleman of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) makes and it’s been proven true time and again in recent years.

Coleman wrote last week in Spiked about the swathe of legislation implemented or attempted around the world that, in the name of reducing harm or increasing safety, in fact restricts freedom of speech and thought.

In other words, legislation that imposes censorship on ordinary people.

Coleman discusses new laws proposed in Barbados, which is currently debating a bill that would “criminalise online content that causes ‘annoyance’ or ‘emotional distress’”.

This sounds absurd, but it is of a type with similar kinds of legislation around the world. 

Canada’s Online Harms Bill threatens life imprisonment for ‘hateful conduct’. It would even allow citizens to be placed under house arrest and tagged electronically if a judge thought it “likely” they would express “hate speech” in the future. In the United States Vice President Kamala Harris promised during her election campaign to crack down on social media companies in a similar attack on free speech.

Here in Australia we are no exception.

HRLA is assisting Chris Elston, known as “Billboard Chris”, after Australia’s eSafety Commissioner demanded a post of his on X (Twitter) be taken down. Chris had been critical of the appointment of a transgender-identifying activist to a World Health Organisation panel, and for that he has been censored.

Chris isn’t letting that attack on his free speech go, though, and he has chosen to take this violation of his rights to court.

The Alliance Defending Freedom is supporting Billboard Chris in this effort, alongside HRLA. Both organisations are closely aligned as we defend fundamental freedoms throughout the world.

HRLA and ADF are part of a global push against censorship, defending the fundamental freedoms of all Australians to live and speak truth.