Its Official: Government Terrorists Hate Us For Our Free Speech1984: France Will Counter Terrorist Attacks on Free Speech by Attacking Free Speech? George Orwell wasnt psychic; he was a time traveler, and were permanently falling down the rabbit hole of 1984. If you live in France, your right to visit certain websites has just been terminated by the almighty government. Why? Because terrorism. According to a report by Glenn Greenwald, Whats Scarier: Terrorism, or Governments Blocking Websites in Its Name? the French Interior Ministry has now ordered that five websites be blocked by the government because they have officially been accused of promoting terrorism. And this is just the beginning. Greenwald explains: No judge reviews the Interior Ministrys decisions. The minister first requests that the website owner voluntarily remove the content he deems transgressive; upon disobedience, the minister unilaterally issues the order to Internet service providers for the sites to be blocked. This censorship power is vested pursuant to a law recently enacted in France empowering the interior minister to block websites. Forcibly taking down websites deemed to be supportive of terrorism, or criminalizing speech deemed to advocate terrorism, is a major trend in both Europe and the West generally. Last month in Brussels, the European Unions counter-terrorism coordinator issued a memo proclaiming that Europe is facing an unprecedented, diverse and serious terrorist threat, and argued that increased state control over the Internet is crucial to combating it. In other words, what you have decided to see is banned and you are redirected to the ministry (Surely they arent keeping track of (read: databasing on a special list) any IP address of those Internet users they have to redirect. They wouldnt do that, would they?) This comes in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, dubbed Frances 9/11. Mac Slavo of SHTF Plan points out the irony of a new European Patriot Act and the now burgeoning surveillance/police state over there in the wake of the attacks: Although the statement takes a vow of respect and scrupulous observance of fundamental freedoms, a forum for free expression, in full respect of the law, it doesnt hold much water with the focus on new surveillance and police powers to chill free speech in the name of fighting radicalization. It seems the terrorists have once again won before the fight has even begun. How painfully ironic, considering the Charlie Hebdo attack was supposed to be a terroristic attack on free speech to begin with. So France will counter terrorist attacks on free speech by attacking free speech? We now live in a time when, under the all-encompassing blanket of national security, governments get to decide what is good and bad for you to say and see and think, apparently. Where does this slippery slope end? How long until merely disagreeing with the government is deemed a terroristic threat online? Just wait until the new FCC Net Neutrality rules get into full swing here. The road to censorship has already been well paved, America. Were next. Melissa Melton is a writer, researcher, and analyst for The Daily Sheeplewhere this article first appeared, and shes a co-creator of Truthstream Media with Aaron Dykes, a site that offers teleprompter-free, unscripted analysis of The Matrix we find ourselves living in. Melissa also co-founded Nutritional Anarchy with Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper, a site focused on resistance through food self-sufficiency. Wake the flock up! 