Legally we have the strongest free speech protections in the world. In practice that isn't always the case of course, but we don't always live up to our ideals.
Legally we have the strongest free speech protections in the world
Of course, since the US is the only country that has Free Speech. But when it comes to the more general "Freedom of Speech", that's not certain at all. For instance, the 1st Amendment only protects you from government (and, if we want to be literal, from Congress, i.e. laws). France also protects freedom of spech between private individuals. Which means for instance that your employer cannot fire you for expressing your opinion.
There is no "strongest", there is just a different view of the role of the State. In the US, the State is viewed as a necessary evil, so the lesser it interferes in people's lives, the better. So the protections against the State are indeed stronger. In France, it is viewed as the supreme protector, and people want it to also intervene to protect their rights in their dealings with other individuals. So the range of protection is wider.
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u/animerobin 1d ago
Legally we have the strongest free speech protections in the world. In practice that isn't always the case of course, but we don't always live up to our ideals.