"You may have read in your colourful newspapers that my country's president would like to shut me up because I don't adore him in the way he likes to be adored. The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden we were off the air. But then, you know what happened? A Christmas miracle happened. Well, it was September. It was a September miracle."
"Millions and millions of people stood up and said: No, this is not acceptable. People who never watched my show, people who were on record saying they hate my show spoke out, they marched. They did this all to support the right to a free expression of speech and because so many people spoke out, we came back. Our show came back stronger than ever."
A popular talkshow was targeted by the nation's president for insufficient adoration, provoking government pressure and threats that led to the program being taken off air. A broad public backlash, including former critics and non-viewers, mobilized in defense of free expression and demanded reinstatement. Massive protests and vocal support forced the program back on air, with renewed strength and diminished presidential standing. The episode demonstrates accelerating authoritarian tactics, rapid escalation of repression, the fragility of media freedom, and contemporary threats to democratic norms, including incendiary rhetoric and calls for extreme punishments.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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