When a myriad of local voices make the same complaint, we are in the presence of a genuine (as opposed to media generated) universal.

The fact that a Western, formally democratic European country is being upbraided—however gently—by the human rights group, is something Europeans are rather unused to.

New speech-restriction laws, whether national or at the EU level, would amplify a disturbing trend underway in Europe, where the right to free expression is gradually being replaced with a new legal default. What speech is not explicitly permitted, is banned.

The agency’s chief was eager to draw a clear distinction between its efforts to counter false information and Orwellian, quasi-authoritarian efforts to exert total control over the information available to the public.

Danish press have speculated that the charges may be related to a 2020 interview where Frederiksen appeared to confirm the existence of a highly classified spy program.

Three important dates see out the month, each reminding us of heroism, martyrdom, and virtue: the anniversary of the murder of France’s Louis XVI in 1793 on January 21; the feast of Blessed Charlemagne, first Holy Roman Emperor and King of France, on January 28; and the feast of Charles Stuart, King and Martyr on January 30.