Latest news with #Elston
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Billboard Chris' sounds off after arrest in 'most woke city' for opposing transgender treatments for kids
Conservative activists warned about the threat to free speech in Europe after they were arrested in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday for holding signs opposing transgender medical treatments for children. Chris Elston, better known as "Billboard Chris," and Alliance Defending Freedom International senior legal communications officer Lois McLatchie Miller spoke to Fox News Digital after they were released, hours after being harassed by a crowd and taken into police custody. Elston, well known for wearing billboards decrying transgender medical care for children out in public, stood out in the streets of the Belgian capital alongside McLatchie Miller. Both wore billboards with the messages, "Children are never born in the wrong body" and "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers." Elston travels the world to spread his message, which he says mostly receives positive feedback. But in Brussels, it was mostly opposition. Police Arrest 'Billboard Chris,' Christian Activist In Eu Capital For Denouncing Child Transgender Treatments "It was pretty much non-stop abuse and harassment," Elston told Fox News Digital. "It quickly became apparent that this is probably the most woke city I have been to in my five years of campaigning, and nothing else comes close." Read On The Fox News App "We had a man throw a glass bottle at us. It landed behind me, but right in front of a five-year-old girl who was walking with her dad, smashed on the ground. People were telling me I needed to get out of there because Antifa was going to come, and no matter where we walked in the city, we were getting a lot of grief," he added. After one man continually harassed McLatchie Miller, the pair called the police for protection. Instead, they were told if they didn't remove their signs, they would be arrested. They were then detained, strip-searched and had their signs confiscated, before they were released three hours later with no formal charge, Elston said. "They put us in handcuffs and everything, but they just let us go, and it seems they just wanted to get rid of us instead of dealing with the angry, unruly mob," he added. The activists were in Brussels this week to share their message and discuss policy issues with members of the European Parliament. Free Speech Advocates Praise Trump Admin For Speaking Out On Global Censorship McLatchie Miller, who works for the faith-based legal organization, Alliance Defending Freedom International, said it was surprising to find herself detained, when she is usually fighting for ADF clients whose speech has been silenced by local authorities. "I don't think we were quite prepared to expect this level of hostility here in Brussels, but hopefully it exposes some things that need to be exposed about the need to protect freedom of expression in Europe," she told Fox News Digital. Vice President JD Vance recently sounded the alarm about free speech being under threat in Europe. In a speech in Munich in February, he raised the case of a British army veteran who was arrested and charged for silently praying in an abortion buffer zone to warn that Europe appeared to be retreating from some of its fundamental values it shares with the U.S. and adopting "Soviet-era" censorship. McLatchie Miller said her arrest "really represents the free speech crisis that Europe is facing right now." Vance Is Right About Free Speech. That's What Makes Eu And Us Leftists So Mad "Vance pointed this out in his Munich speech just a few months ago, and many people in Europe laughed at him and said that this wasn't true," she continued. "But case after case, time after time, we're seeing this assault on free speech unfold." "As Chris and I were just there sharing a very peaceful message, a very important message, that no child has ever been born in the wrong body, and they do not need drugs and scalpels to fix themselves, they need love and affirmation. It's an opinion that's shared by many people across Europe, and yet the authorities came and shut down that conversation in the streets of this capital city, this heart of the European Union." "If free speech is not accessible here in Europe's alleged home of democracy, then it's not accessible anywhere, and it really does raise an alarm bell," she said. Brussels police did not immediately return a request for comment. Their arrest comes at a time when Elston believes there is a growing movement across the globe of those questioning or criticizing transitioning children. "We're making tremendous progress all across the globe," he said. He cited European countries like Finland, Denmark, and the United Kingdom which now discourage giving puberty blockers to children experiencing gender dysphoria. "The truth is spreading," he added. Elston said he speaks to people on both sides of the aisle who share his concerns about transitioning children, and he believes it was one major issue that swung voters away from the Democratic Party in the 2024 election. "This was the number one issue in the U.S. election that caused swing voters to vote for President Donald Trump," he argued. "It wasn't the economy, it wasn't immigration, it was transgender insanity. And even in these Democrat states, a lot of those voters are sick and tired of this." Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this article source: 'Billboard Chris' sounds off after arrest in 'most woke city' for opposing transgender treatments for kids
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Police arrest ‘Billboard Chris,' Christian activist in EU capital for denouncing child transgender treatments
Belgian police arrested a prominent conservative activist and an Alliance Defending Freedom International employee in the European Union capital of Brussels on Thursday while they were displaying signs opposing transgender medical treatment for kids. Chris Elston, also known as "Billboard Chris," and ADF International official Lois McLatchie Miller were detained by Brussels police while protesting gender-affirming care for children. They were released after several hours and not charged but were instructed to destroy their signs. "Chris and I were arrested for stating a simple truth in public: no child is born in the wrong body. I called the police because we were being surrounded and felt threatened. But instead of addressing the aggression of the mob, the police arrested us—two people standing peacefully with signs, open to conversation," McLatchie Miller told Fox News Digital. Marjorie Taylor Greene Pushes Bill To Punish Those Who Perform Gender Transition Measures On Minors "That this happened in the heart of Europe is deeply troubling. If speaking up for children is now grounds for arrest, then our freedom to speak the truth on any important issue is truly in danger," the ADF International employee added. Elston, well known for wearing billboards decrying transgender medical treatment for children out in public, stood out in the streets of the Belgian capital alongside McLatchie Miller. Both wore billboards, with the ADF employee's sign reading, "Children are never born in the wrong body" and Elston's reading, "Children cannot consent to puberty blockers." Read On The Fox News App According to ADF International's press release, the signs drew a crowd of onlookers, some of whom got aggressive. In a video recorded before their arrest, Elston showed Brussels police forming a ring around him and his colleague to keep onlookers from getting too close. "And we have quite a scene unfolding in Brussels, Belgium," Elston said in the recording. "We have been getting incredibly harassed for about the last hour. We've remained perfectly calm as always, having conversations about what is the greatest child abuse scandal in modern medicine history." New House Bill Would Make Trump Ban On Transgender Troops Permanent Elston continued, saying they were the ones who called the police to protect them from harassment; however, he noted that the officers then ordered them to put away their signs. "We called the police because a man was harassing and following Lois everywhere she went, trying to stop us from filming. The police have now arrived, and they've told me I have to put – and Lois – they've told us we have to put our signs away. I have refused. He said I was violating the law. I said, 'What law?' He can't name it," he said. Elston added that he was told he was going to be arrested, stating, "So I said, 'That's fine. Go ahead.'" Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture ADF International's press release stated the two were eventually arrested and taken to two separate police stations, where they were "ordered to remove their clothes and searched." They were released several hours later. In a statement, ADF International executive director Paul Coleman ripped Brussels' government for the action. "The Belgian authorities not only failed to uphold the fundamental right to speak freely, they turned the power of the state against those who were peacefully exercising their rights at the behest of a mob," he said. "This is the type of authoritarianism we challenge in other parts of the world, and it's deeply disturbing to see it here in the very heart of Europe. While we are grateful our colleague has been safely released, we are deeply concerned by her treatment at the hands of the police in Brussels," Coleman added. Fox News Digital reached out to the Belgian police for comment but did not immediately receive a article source: Police arrest 'Billboard Chris,' Christian activist in EU capital for denouncing child transgender treatments
The Age
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
The activist, Elon Musk and Trump's free speech gripe with Australia
In March, in a drab hearing room of the Administrative Review Tribunal in Melbourne, lawyers spent five days going back and forth about a post on social media platform X from a Canadian anti-trans activist and whether it should have been removed from the internet. Now, a year after that post was published, the case has caught the attention of the Trump administration, which is accusing Australia – among other countries – of coercing American technology companies into egregious censorship. With the White House warning that it is out to enforce free speech around the world, the matter has the potential to creep into high-stakes trade talks between the United States and the re-elected Albanese government. 'The administration has been really straightforward,' David Inserra, a fellow at the Cato Institute, a free market Washington think tank, says. 'They view these types of actions as assaults on American competitiveness.' What happened? Chris Elston describes himself as a father of two girls who 'decided to take a stand against gender ideology'. In practice, that means regularly touring the streets of North America – and the world – with billboards that say: 'Children cannot consent to puberty blockers'. It also means publishing a constant stream of anti-transgender material on social media, where he is known as Billboard Chris. Elston rejects the 'anti-trans' label. 'I cannot be anti something that doesn't exist,' he says. 'I am pro-child.' In late February 2024, Elston read a Daily Mail article about Teddy Cook, an Australian trans man and activist who was then the community health director at NSW charity ACON, which advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and on HIV/AIDS. The article purported to reveal Cook's 'kinky track record' and questioned his appointment to a World Health Organisation advisory body on transgender issues. Elston posted a link to the article on X, the Elon Musk-owned platform formerly called Twitter. 'This woman (yes, she's female) is part of a panel of 20 'experts' hired by the @WHO to draft their policy on caring for 'trans people',' Elston wrote, before questioning Cook's suitability for the appointment.
Sydney Morning Herald
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
The activist, Elon Musk and Trump's free speech gripe with Australia
Cook complained to Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, and on March 22 last year, a delegate ordered X to remove the post. A letter from the delegate to X said the post deliberately misgendered Cook, invalidated and mocked his gender identity, was offensive and constituted cyberabuse. If X failed to remove the post, it was liable for a $782,500 fine. The platform complied by geo-blocking the post in Australia, although it is still available elsewhere, including in the United States. Musk's company also appealed to the Administrative Review Tribunal, as did Elston, leading to the hearing that was held in March. Why does it matter? The tribunal's deputy president, Damien O'Donovan, reserved his decision, so the outcome is not yet known. In the interim, however, the case has been picked up by a number of right-wing or libertarian news outlets, and is now commanding the attention of Donald Trump and Marco Rubio's State Department. 'The Department of State is deeply concerned about efforts by governments to coerce American tech companies into targeting individuals for censorship. Freedom of expression must be protected – online and offline,' the department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor posted on X earlier this month. 'Examples of this conduct are troublingly numerous. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton threatened X for hosting political speech; Türkiye fined Meta for refusing to restrict content about protests; and Australia required X to remove a post criticising an individual for promoting gender ideology. 'Even when content may be objectionable, censorship undermines democracy, suppresses political opponents, and degrades public safety. The United States opposes efforts to undermine freedom of expression.' It is not the only time Australia's eSafety Commissioner has irked X. Only a few weeks after demanding the removal of Elston's post, her office issued a take-down notice for the footage of Wakeley bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel being stabbed at his western Sydney church. In that case, X hid the posts in Australia, but the commissioner's office then sought their worldwide removal, which X refused to do. Musk called Inman Grant a 'censorship commissar' who was demanding 'global content bans'. Another court challenge commenced, though the commissioner later dropped the proceedings. Streisand effect Cook declined to comment for this story, as did LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Australia. A spokesperson for the eSafety commissioner declined to answer specific questions, but said the agency would continue to take 'principled, balanced and fair regulatory actions to protect Australians' and 'continue holding technology companies to account for online harms in accordance with Australia's laws'. From his home in Vancouver, Elston said he had entirely forgotten about his post regarding Cook when X forwarded him the removal notice weeks later. He immediately knew it had the potential for scandal. 'I thought: my gosh, they're trying to censor me, all this is going to do is cause a huge kerfuffle,' Elston says. 'It's pretty wild that a Canadian posting on an American-run platform gets censored by an Australian government bureaucrat just arbitrarily.' Loading Elston's case was picked up and funded by Alliance Defending Freedom International, and in Australia by the Human Rights Law Alliance, which was set up in 2016 by the Australian Christian Lobby. Elston rejects the eSafety commissioner's charge that he misgendered and abused Cook, arguing: 'I'm just not going to play along with the lie that women can be men and men can be women.' As for the State Department's intervention, he says: 'They're definitely on my side. I know the entire Trump administration is basically in lockstep with me on this issue.' Trade implications The administration is seeking to enforce its views about free speech near and far. In a speech in February, Vice President J. D. Vance criticised European allies for backsliding on free speech, while London masthead The Telegraph has reported concerns that free expression could affect trade talks. Loading 'No free trade without free speech,' it quoted a source familiar with US-UK trade negotiations saying. In Australia's case, trade negotiators have already raised concerns about government efforts to force American technology companies to pay for local news generation, while the federal government's planned social media ban for children under 16 has also angered Meta (owner of Instagram and Facebook) and X. David Inserra, the Cato Institute's fellow for free expression and technology, says the Trump administration has clearly signalled its grievances about these kinds of policies. It is also willing to label policies it does not like as 'taxes', which invites a tariff or trade response. 'The eSafety Commission has a bit of a history here,' Inserra warns. 'The Trump administration views this as continued overreach in this regard.'
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Free speech advocates praise Trump admin for speaking out on global censorship
A Canadian free speech advocate who was fined by Australian authorities spoke out after the U.S. State Department appeared to come to his defense. "It's phenomenal. The Trump administration has been tremendous on this issue," Chris Elston, popularly known as "Billboard Chris" for his custom of wearing sandwich boards with slogans on them, said. In the Australian case, Elston had been fined $806 for "obstructing public movement" in response to displaying his billboard reading "children cannot consent to puberty blockers." Elston said he was peacefully conversing with members of the public and was issued a police "move on" order before being sent away. Musk, Canadian Man Sue Australian Authorities For Censoring X Post That incident was separate from a legal challenge Elston launched in April against the country's eSafety commission after the government had his tweet of a Daily Mail article about a transgender activist seated on an Australian board. Read On The Fox News App "It's such a zealous overuse of authority," Elston said. "We don't elect [officials] to decide what we can say." After he was censored, the case was included in a tweet from a State Department bureau decrying government censorship and their coercion of tech companies into targeting individuals. Billboard Chris Reflects On Violence He's Met With Protesting Gender Surgeries For Children "Freedom of expression must be protected – online and offline," it tweeted. "Examples of this conduct are troublingly numerous. EU Commissioner Thierry Breton threatened X for hosting political speech; Türkiye fined Meta for refusing to restrict content about protests; and Australia required X to remove a post criticizing an individual for promoting gender ideology." "The United States opposes efforts to undermine freedom of expression." Lois McLatchie Miller of Alliance Defending Freedom International, which has been defending Elston, said the group believes "everybody has the right to live and speak their truth, and Chris is a great example of that." "[W]e stood up with Chris alongside the Human Rights Law Alliance in Australia to defend free speech there, but we also see in my own country in the U.K., where people are having censorship thrust upon them, even being arrested for expressing their views."Original article source: Free speech advocates praise Trump admin for speaking out on global censorship
