The Vice president of the United States, JD Vance, during his speech at the Conference of Conservative Political Action (CPAC) close Washington, D.C., criticized German government on freedom of speech, combining restrictions on alleged hatred speech with the presence of American troops in Germany.
German law prohibits, among another things, the denial of the Holocaust and the glorification of the Nazi past of the country, which aims to reduce extremism and incitement to hatred.
Vance expressed doubts as to whether American taxpayers would be willing to keep German-based troops if the citizens of this country could be imprisoned for publishing offensive content online. During his speech on CPAC, he said:
“There are now thousands of American soldiers stationed in Germany. Do you think the American payer will tolerate this if he puts himself in prison in Germany for publishing a malicious tweet? Of course not.’
Earlier, at the Munich safety Conference, Vance criticized European leaders for limiting freedom of speech and democracy, claiming that “free speech in Europe is in retreat”. His remarks were criticised by European leaders, including German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who defended European democratic principles and warned that the US administration's approach could benefit opponents like Russia and China.
Vance besides suggested that “the full defence of Germany is subsidised by an American taxpayer”, which provoked further outrage by many Germans and discussions on transatlantic relations and democratic values in Europe and the US.
