By: V4 Agency
Five of Sweden’s largest alternative media outlets have organised a daily blackout to protest against Google’s censorship. They called on the government to protect freedom of speech and opinion from digital censorship after YouTube had removed SwebbTV, a popular channel with 65 thousand subscribers. In their joint statement the five media outlets emphasized that Google continues to receive substantial subsidies from Sweden’s left-wing government and “wants to sabotage the opposition media.”
Five of Sweden’s largest alternative media outlets – Exakt24, Nyheter Idag, Fria Tider, Samhällsnytt and Nya Tider – organised a blackout day on Tuesday and published a joint statement, explaining that the disappearance of SwebbTV (a popular opposition channel with 65 thousand subscribers) from YouTube was preceded by various government measures.
They highlighted the fact that, before the closure of SwebbTV, Sweden’s left-wing government pushed through a major reduction in the electricity tax for Google and Facebook, decreasing it from the residential value of 41,38 öre/kWh to 0,5 öre/kWh. Besides, Google received some additional subsidies and the Lofven government also provided billions of dollars in support to the two IT giants.
In their open letter, Sweden’s five alternative media outlets emphasized that during the 2018 election campaign, then-Justice Minister Morgan Johansson called on Google and Facebook to conduct “voluntary” censorship on the internet on behalf of the state. The meeting was also attended by Expressen’s former editor-in-chief Thomas Mattsson, who promised to provide the IT giants with information about “the dark forces that exist and threaten democracy.” In other words: which alternative media are to be monitored and opposed, the five media outlets’ chief editors write in their joint statement.
Following the removal of SwebbTV from YouTube, Morgan Johansson said: “It is up to YouTube to decide what they have on their platform.”
According to the five media outlets, this attitude is not acceptable in a democratic country. They believe Sweden’s government is trying to shut down as many alternative, anti-migraion, right-wing, conservative media outlets as possible.
“The danger is not that the government is trying to ban us with new laws, but that it is – via state-sponsored companies, tech giants or banks – restricting our access to digital services that are vital for our operations,” the five media outlets say.
In protest, they called on the government to implement promt measures to ensure freedom of speech and opinion online (a right guaranteed and protected by the Swedish constitution) especially on the platforms of Google, Youtube and Facebook that are, “in part, state-sponsored.”
