European Parliament Member: Sanction Tucker Carlson

A current member and a former member of the European Parliament proposed that the European Union consider a travel ban on American journalist Tucker Carlson due to his interview of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Newsweek reported on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Putin is a lawless dictator who has killed and imprisoned many journalists who have challenged him. He likely granted the interview to further Russian propaganda in an effort to make more Americans and Europeans believe false narratives.

But Europe’s reaction is also concerning. It shows hatred for free speech.

The interview: Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Western media has emphasized that Russia is the aggressor whose unjustified belligerence has caused unspeakable suffering for millions. But Carlson believes hiding Russia’s version of events is dangerous.

Two years into a war that’s reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed. [N]o one has told them the truth. Their media outlets are corrupt. They lie to their readers and viewers … mostly by omission. [N]ot a single Western journalist has bothered to interview the president of [Russia]. … That’s wrong. Americans have a right to know all they can about a war they’re implicated in, and we have the right to tell them about it because we are Americans too.

Freedom of speech is our birthright. … We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin. We are here because we love the United States. … You should know as much as you can. And then, like a free citizen and not a slave, you can decide for yourself.
—Tucker Carlson

A dark trend: The request to ban Carlson is unlikely to succeed, but the reaction to his interview illustrates a trend we have been watching. To learn more, read “The EU’s War on Free Speech.”