(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski announced that he had “safely departed” from Europe after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France, and French authorities made subsequent threats against Rumble.
The Post Millennial reported that Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on Aug. 25, 2024, after he arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan. The arrest, executed under a warrant for Durov, who holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates, allegedly stems from allegations that Durov failed to moderate content on his social media platform.
Durov now faces a potential 20-year prison sentence on charges including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, fraud, money laundering and receiving stolen goods.
Pavlovski released a statement on Twitter, condemning the actions taken against Durov and vowing to fight for freedom of expression.
“France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech. Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov’s immediate release,” he wrote.
I’m a little late to this, but for good reason — I’ve just safely departed from Europe.
France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech.
Rumble will not stand for this behavior and…
— Chris Pavlovski (@chrispavlovski) August 25, 2024
In his other post, Pavlovski also pointed out that several countries worldwide banned and threatened Rumble.
“China bans Rumble. France threatens Rumble. We leave. Brazil threatens Rumble. We leave. [The United Kingdom] threatens Rumble. Russia bans Rumble. New Zealand threatens Rumble. France arrests Telegram CEO. Free speech is under major assault, and I will not stop fighting for it,” he wrote.
🇨🇳 China bans Rumble
🇫🇷 France threatens Rumble, we leave
🇧🇷 Brazil threatens Rumble, we leave
🇬🇧 UK threatens Rumble
🇷🇺 Russia bans Rumble
🇳🇿 New Zealand threatens Rumble🇫🇷 France arrests Telegram CEO
Free speech is under major assault and I will not stop fighting for it.
— Chris Pavlovski (@chrispavlovski) August 25, 2024
Elon Musk, Twitter’s owner, responded to the recent news by emphasizing the importance of supporting free speech and urging users to share posts on his platform, particularly in countries with heavy censorship.
“It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward X posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries,” he wrote.
It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward 𝕏 posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
