Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported that he has instructed his Foreign Minister to contact other governments, especially those that have spoken out similarly, to propose they join forces against the giant private social media companies’ brazen moves to suppress freedom of speech, as well as their invasion of everyone’s privacy.
This was at least the third time since Facebook and Twitter shut down President Donald Trump’s social media accounts that López Obrador has warned that these companies must not be allowed to set themselves up as a supranational force, more powerful than governments. And when a nasty journalist attempted to force him to go on the record, for or against, President Trump’s alleged “inciting insurrection” and “violence” on Jan. 6, he refused to take the bait, and reiterated that freedom of speech is the principle at stake here.
“Look, what I think is that a private body cannot decide to take away the right we have to the free expression of ideas. You cannot have a private body, I believe, in any nation, in any nation-state, which becomes a censorship board. Freedom should be guaranteed. If there is to be any regulation, that is up to the nation-state; it cannot be left in the hands of individuals,” the Mexican President stated.
He continued: “In the first meeting that we have of the G20, I am going to make a proposal on this subject. Yes, social networks should not be used to incite violence … but that cannot be grounds for suspending freedom of expression; it must not be used as an excuse. Freedom must be guaranteed. No to censorship.…”
