Friday, 18 April 2025
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** When trade wars become culture wars
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This week, the repercussions of Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to spiral with the escalating US-China trade war and the World Trade Organization warning of an impending sharp decline in global trade. But perhaps even more concerning is how the USA’s threats of taxation are increasingly being used to coax significant societal policy changes out of other governments.

Talks have intensified between the UK and US governments around tariffs, with US Vice President JD Vance reportedly putting pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to adopt the US administration’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) agenda to secure a mutually beneficial trade deal.

A Washington source told The Independent ([link removed]) that Starmer is being asked to repeal hate speech laws, particularly those which protect LGBTQ+ people and other minority groups, and online safety legislation in order to get a deal over the line with the USA and reduce the UK’s tariffs.

Trade wars have quickly escalated into culture wars. Of course, there are legitimate questions to be asked about the increasing scope of online policing in the UK. Earlier this year, we saw the UK government’s stealthy introduction of an order to create a “backdoor” to Apple’s encrypted data, which could have serious implications for users’ data privacy. Apple has since launched an appeal to the decision and Index, Big Brother Watch and the Open Rights Group have successfully argued that the case should not be heard in secret ([link removed]) .

But as we well know, Trump is no bastion of universal free speech. His administration continues to crack down on and criminalise protestors, academics and journalists who do not align with its values, while legal and financial threats are being used to erode civil liberties and human rights. The recent demands on universities that they abandon their diversity programmes or face losing their federal funding, for example, further silences already marginalised voices. Meanwhile, ongoing threats to dismantle stalwart media institutions such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty speak volumes about the government’s attitude towards fair and objective reporting.

Pressure to adopt the US’s cultural ideology is not just coming from the government. Another story this week revealed how requests to remove books from UK libraries ([link removed]) , particularly those containing LGBTQ+ themes, are on the rise, influenced by pressure groups in the USA who have advocated for book bans. This marries up with exclusive research that Index’s assistant editor Katie Dancey-Downs ([link removed]) carried out last year, which found that 28 of 53 UK librarians polled reported that they had been asked to remove books from their shelves.

The influence of US cultural policy is both overt and covert. In the social media age, free speech is a complex and thorny issue that continues to evolve every day. But what is clear is that the USA is increasingly imposing its policies abroad – and ultimately this could hinder, rather than help, our ability to speak freely.

Sarah Dawood

Editor, Index on Censorship


** More from Index
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Whistleblowers silenced over failings in NHS maternity and women’s care ([link removed])

Index investigates the culture of secrecy shrouding healthcare services in England ([link removed])

From Nigeria to Mexico: The week in free expression ([link removed])

A round-up of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days ([link removed])

Meet the “winners” of the European SLAPP Contest 2025 ([link removed])

A tongue-in-cheek look at the bullies who have been throwing legal threats at the little guys ([link removed])

Announcing Index on Censorship’s latest magazine: The forgotten patients ([link removed])

Lost voices in the global healthcare system ([link removed])

Donald Trump’s tariffs and China’s tight control ([link removed]) of the message

Chinese censors are feasting on the chaos that is the US President’s trade war ([link removed])

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** Event: Left Speechless panel and magazine launch
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Join Index on Censorship at The Frontline Club in London on Monday 28 April for a panel discussion on the psychological toll of living in a warzone and the impact this can have on individuals' speech.

The event will launch our latest magazine issue, The forgotten patients.
REGISTER ([link removed])


** From elsewhere
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**
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** >> RUSSIA: ([link removed]) Journalists linked to Alexei Navalny jailed for more than five years ([link removed])
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** >> HONG KONG: ([link removed]) UK wants explanation after British MP refused entry ([link removed])
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** >> HUNGARY: ([link removed]) Parliament passes amendment banning public LGBTQ+ events ([link removed]) [link removed]
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** >> UK: ([link removed]) Librarians increasingly asked to remove books ([link removed])
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** >> USA: ([link removed]) DOGE to “assign” teams to non-profits that receive federal funds ([link removed])
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** Flashback
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Always looking over our shoulders ([link removed])

by Henry McDonald ([link removed])

Index on Censorship, volume 50, issue 2 ([link removed])

Today, 18 April, marks the sixth anniversary of the death of Northern Irish journalist Lyra McKee. The writer was hit by a bullet while she was reporting on a riot in Derry; the trial into her death is ongoing.

In this week’s deep dive into our archive, we look back at this article by Henry McDonald where he wrote about threats made to him and fellow journalists from both sides of the Northern Ireland political divide. Read more here. ([link removed])



** Support our work
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The world is becoming more authoritarian and our work calling for the protection of journalists and promoting freedom of expression in countries such as Hungary, Hong Kong and Russia has never been more important.

By supporting Index on Censorship today, you can help us in our work with censored artists, jailed musicians, journalists under threat and dissidents facing torture or worse.

Please donate today ([link removed])

Photos by: (Trump and Starmer) White House, CC BY 3.0 US; (mural) Brian Spencer

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