By any liberal standard, Europe is supposed to be a bastion of human rights, a continent where civil liberties are fiercely protected and free speech is sacred.
Yet across the European Union, the right to protest and express dissent is increasingly coming under siege—not in the dark corners of autocracy, but in the democratic heartlands of France, Germany, and Spain.
This creeping authoritarianism is no longer cloaked in jackboots, but in the sterile language of “public order” and “national security.” Governments that pride themselves on openness have quietly begun to erode the very liberties they claim to uphold. Under the pretext of maintaining peace, they are silencing political dissent, muzzling journalists, and criminalising protest in a way that should alarm anyone who values democratic freedom.
France: Tear Gas and Tear Down
France, long a symbol of revolutionary spirit, has become ground zero for the criminalisation of protest. The government of Emmanuel Macron has met popular discontent—from pension reforms to climate demonstrations—with an increasingly heavy hand. Riot police are now a common feature at demonstrations, and so too is the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and mass arrests.
Perhaps most disturbing is the French state’s reliance on anti-terror legislation to police protests. Laws designed to protect the public from jihadist attacks are now being deployed to suppress demonstrations against state policy. This is not merely mission creep; it is a deliberate strategy to recast dissent as a threat to national security.
Even protests related to Gaza—issues of international human rights—have been banned under the guise of “preventing disorder.” This isn’t just a clampdown; it’s a moral abdication.
Spain’s “Gag Law”: Democracy in Name Only
Spain’s infamous “gag law” (the Citizen Security Law), first introduced by the Rajoy government in 2015 and still in force in significant parts, has turned protest into a bureaucratic minefield. Under the law, spontaneous demonstrations outside government buildings can carry fines of up to €30,000. Photographing or insulting police officers—however mildly—can also incur penalties, effectively shielding law enforcement from public scrutiny.
In a supposed democracy, such laws are not merely overreach—they’re a form of soft repression. Their very existence sends a chilling message: challenge the state, and you’ll pay for it. The gag law has had a demonstrable effect on civic activism in Spain, particularly among those campaigning for Catalan independence or climate action. Fear of legal reprisals has discouraged many from taking to the streets, thereby eroding one of democracy’s most essential tools: visible, public opposition.
Germany: Selective Liberty?
Germany, too, has begun to adopt a more selective interpretation of freedom of expression. While Berlin projects itself as a defender of liberal democracy, its increasingly draconian approach to pro-Palestinian demonstrations suggests otherwise.
In recent months, several such protests have been banned outright, with authorities citing the risk of “antisemitic incitement.” While the need to combat genuine hate speech is not in dispute, Germany’s measures have often veered into censorship. Peaceful protesters carrying Palestinian flags or calling for ceasefires in Gaza have been met with police intimidation and arrests.
This is a country where nuance and free discussion should flourish. Instead, certain views—particularly those critical of Israeli policy—are being suppressed under an increasingly broad interpretation of hate speech laws. In the process, Germany risks conflating legitimate political expression with extremism, thereby criminalising a large swathe of public opinion.
Journalists: The Silenced Watchdogs
Perhaps the clearest sign of a democracy in decline is when those who shine light into dark corners are punished for it. Across the EU, journalists—especially those investigating corruption, organised crime, or abuses of power—face legal harassment, surveillance, and even threats of violence.
The use of SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) is growing, with powerful individuals and corporations suing journalists into silence. In countries like Malta, Greece, and even Italy, investigative reporting has become a high-risk profession. One need only recall the 2017 murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia to understand the stakes.
More insidiously, digital surveillance laws are being used to track journalists’ sources, undermining the confidentiality that is crucial to their work. In Hungary and Poland, state-aligned media and government tools have been turned against the independent press, but even in Western Europe, the rot is spreading.
The Erosion of Democratic Culture
What links these developments—from protest bans to gag laws, from media intimidation to surveillance—is not a specific ideology but a broader erosion of democratic culture. Across the EU, governments are using the tools of liberalism to dismantle its substance. Laws once meant to protect democracy are now being weaponised to control it.
Public safety must never be a carte blanche for the suppression of fundamental rights. Civil unrest, protest, and hard questions are not symptoms of a dysfunctional society—they are its lifeblood. A Europe that fears its own people is not a stronghold of democracy; it is a citadel in decline.
The EU prides itself on its Charter of Fundamental Rights. But rights mean nothing without the will to defend them, especially when they are unpopular. Europe’s citizens must remain vigilant. Freedoms are not only eroded through brute force—they can also be suffocated beneath the weight of legalese, bureaucracy, and silence.
If the EU is to remain a beacon of democratic values, it must stop mimicking the methods of the regimes it condemns. Otherwise, Europe will soon find itself preaching liberty abroad while extinguishing it at home.
