In a speech equally applicable to Australian Liberal and Labor politicians, JD Vance has called on European leaders to stop their Soviet-style suppression of political opponents and allow freedom of speech and political expression.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the U.S. Vice President warned that the greatest threat to Europe is not Russia or China but the erosion of its own democratic values through censorship and the criminalisation of dissent.

The speech caught Family First’s attention because Liberal and Labor politicians in Australia preside over the same anti-free speech laws Vance rightly scolded European elites for using to shut down dissent.



Few Australian politicians have the courage to call for a Family First style dismantling of Australia’s anti-free speech “discrimination” and “vilification” laws.

Vance exposed the hypocrisy of European elites (and by extension Australian elites) who claim to defend democracy while persecuting citizens for expressing views on abortion, immigration, and other contentious issues.

“We must do more than talk about democratic values. We must live them,” he said, before lambasting governments that use so-called ‘misinformation’ laws to silence political opponents.

The Criminalisation of Prayer

One of the most chilling examples Vance cited was the case of British Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor, who was prosecuted for the ‘crime’ of silently praying near an abortion clinic.

“Not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own,” Vance recounted.

Yet, under Britain’s draconian buffer zone laws, Smith-Connor was found guilty and forced to pay thousands of pounds in legal costs.

Even more disturbingly, the Scottish government has gone further, warning citizens that praying within their own homes near an abortion clinic could be a criminal act. “Naturally, the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected guilty of thought crime,” Vance said, exposing the Orwellian reality unfolding across Europe.

Victorian pro-life advocate Cathy Clubb has similarly been criminalised for silently praying outside a Melbourne abortion clinic under so-called buffer zone laws which now exist under Liberal and Labor state governments.

Immigration and the Silencing of Dissent

Vance also took aim at European governments’ refusal to listen to their citizens on immigration.

“You cannot win a democratic mandate by censoring your opponents or putting them in jail,” he said.

Across the continent, governments that opened the floodgates to mass migration now find themselves unable to handle the consequences. Yet, instead of acknowledging their failures, they double down by prosecuting those who speak out.

He pointed to the tragic terrorist attack in Munich just days before his speech, where yet another asylum seeker known to police committed an atrocity.

“How many times must we suffer these appalling setbacks before we change course and take our shared civilisation in a new direction?” he asked.

Yet, despite public outrage, European leaders continue to prioritise ideological commitments over the safety and concerns of their own citizens.

The Hypocrisy of the European Establishment

Perhaps most damning was Vance’s exposure of European leaders’ willingness to overturn democratic elections when the results do not align with their agenda.

He referenced the recent cancellation of Romania’s presidential election, annulled by the European Commission under flimsy pretexts of ‘foreign interference.’

“You can believe it’s wrong for Russia to buy social media advertisements to influence your elections. But if your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with,” Vance observed, cutting through the excuses of Europe’s ruling class.

Even at the very conference he was addressing, organisers had banned elected representatives from populist parties on both the left and the right.

“It looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like ‘misinformation’ and ‘disinformation’ who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion, or God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,” Vance said.

German Politicians Learn Nothing

Rather than reflect on Vance’s warnings, German leaders immediately dismissed them. Some, like Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, arrogantly declared that European democracy does not need lessons from the United States.

Others, like German Green Party politicians, accused Vance of undermining ‘European unity’—a predictable reaction from an elite class that equates free speech with instability.

Their reaction only proves Vance’s point. European leaders refuse to engage with dissenting voices, instead choosing to double down on censorship and ideological control.

They have learned nothing from the Cold War, nothing from Brexit, and nothing from their own collapsing approval ratings.

The Fight for Free Speech Must Continue

Vance’s speech was a rallying cry for all who believe in democracy and the right to speak freely without fear of persecution.

“We shouldn’t be afraid of our people even when they express views that disagree with their leadership,” he said, quoting Pope John Paul II’s famous words, ‘Do not be afraid.’

His message is as relevant to Australia as it is to Europe.

Laws restricting speech, such as those used against Family First’s National Director Lyle Shelton for speaking out against radical gender ideology and the sexualisation of children at drag queen events, are part of the same pattern of suppression.

But the tide is turning. A new era of free speech is dawning—one that will repudiate the elites’ attempts to cancel those they disagree with and restore the right of individuals to speak their minds without fear.

Family First will always be on the frontlines of this fight, defending free speech, protecting democracy, and standing up for the truth.