JONATHAN TURLEY: France’s free speech crackdown shows what happens when politicians define truth
France has been in a headlong plunge into censorship and speech criminalization. These laws criminalize speech under vague standards referring to "inciting" or "intimidating" others based on race or religion.
For example, fashion designer John Galliano was found guilty in a French court on charges of making antisemitic comments in a Paris bar in 2010 and 2011.
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In another case, the father of French conservative presidential candidate Marine Le Pen was fined because he had called people from the Roma minority "smelly" in 2013. A French teenager was charged for criticizing Islam as a "religion of hate" in 2020.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 20, 2026. (Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Many of us were disgusted recently when Macron celebrated Brigitte Bardot's life as someone who "embodied a life of freedom." As I discussed, the French government repeatedly prosecuted Bardot for speaking about her views.
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Macron’s praise for Bardot’s "life of freedom" is reminiscent of the reaction of French officials to the massacre of editors at Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine. After hounding the victims for years with criminal investigations, the French government organized a march for free speech. As predicted, it then used the killing by Islamic extremists to further crack down on free speech.
In my book "The Indispensable Right," I discuss how France has careened down the slippery slope of censorship for decades, and the desire to silence others has now become an insatiable appetite.
Macron has supported figures like his anti-free-speech ally Thierry Breton in globalizing the reach of the infamous Digital Services Act (DSA) to curtail speech, including Americans and American companies.
-->In his latest pitch for censorship, Macron pulls out an old saw that if everyone can speak freely, no one can speak freely.
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Macron declared that: “There is no freedom if there is no limit to my freedom, which begins with the freedom of others and respect for a common framework. I know this when I walk down the street: my freedom cannot mean hitting you, insulting you or trashing the public space we all share.”
That line is remarkably telling. It captures how even “insulting” language is treated as a crime in France.
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Since then, France has been a leader in the rollback of free speech in the West, with ever-widening laws curtailing free speech. France regularly charges people for political and religious speech, including comedians and those criticizing the police.
Many of us were disgusted recently when Macron celebrated Brigitte Bardot’s life as someone who “embodied a life of freedom.” As I discussed, the French government repeatedly prosecuted Bardot for speaking about her views.
In the end, the only true solution to bad speech is better speech. The public can sort out its own values and weigh opposing views without the strict guidance of the government. Free speech serves as its own disinfectant.
Ultimately, allowing people not just free inquiry, but free expression bends the arc of humanity toward truth. Hate and prejudice are inherently flawed values that tend to collapse when exposed to full, robust debate.
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That does not mean that it will eliminate racism, sexism or other forms of hate. Neither censorship nor free speech can make everyone better people. However, what Macron is peddling is the same tired, dishonest claim that free speech is harmful, and the government must control what people see and say in public discourse.
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This is a nation that still echoes the cry of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity (“liberté, égalité, fraternité”). However, in today’s France, “liberté” remains a declining value. Individual rights of religion and speech are routinely sacrificed in the name of “equity” and “fraternity.”
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Jonathan Turley is a Fox News Media contributor and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University.
He is the author of the new book “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution” (Simon Schuster, Feb 3, 2026), on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
He is a nationally recognized legal scholar who has written extensively in areas ranging from constitutional law to legal history to the Supreme Court. He has written over three dozen academic articles that have appeared in a variety of leading law journals.
Professor Turley also served as counsel in some of the most notable cases in the last two decades including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, former cabinet members, judges, members of Congress, and a wide range of other clients.
Professor Turley testified more than 50 times before the House and Senate on constitutional and statutory issues, including the Senate confirmation hearings of cabinet members and jurists such as Justice Neil Gorsuch. He also appeared as an expert witness in both the impeachment hearings of President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
Professor Turley received his B.A. at the University of Chicago and his J.D. at Northwestern. In 2008, he was given an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civil liberties and the public interest.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-frances-free-speech-crackdown-shows-what-happens-when-politicians-define-truth