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Alison Centofante and Joseph Backholm, contributors to the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI), interview Paul Coleman, executive director of Alliance Defending Freedom International. In this video, Coleman says that, as in America, most European nations share freedom of speech and religious protections in writing. Still, those freedoms have increasingly come under attack over the past decades. "We have seen a consistent watering down of the protections that we see in writing for carve-outs for these protections. You have freedom of speech, but not if you say this or that. Or you have freedom of religion but don't necessarily have freedom to practice it publicly," says Coleman. As an attorney, Coleman can look at the law and see that his clients are in good standing; reality is something very different. The justification for most speech and religion restrictions in Europe falls under two categories: 1) hate speech and 2) misinformation or disinformation. Increasingly, Coleman says these restrictions are determined between bureaucrats and big digital tech firms. These decisions are made behind closed doors and are sprung on citizens through new laws without the benefit of public debate.
The problem with all of this, says Coleman, is who defines "hate speech," and can it be defined? For example, what the state may define as misinformation or hate speech may simply be one's opinion. "Do we want to outlaw opinions we disagree with?" Coleman asks. "So, who ultimately decides? It's always those in power," says Coleman. Case in point: Coleman is defending a case in Finland where his client is being prosecuted for hate speech for sharing an image of Bible verses on social media. In the lead-up to the General Election, watch the full 35-minute video interview for much more on how freedom is collapsing globally and in the U.S.