Vice President J.D. Vance was vindicated in his warning about the state of free speech in Europe after a 74-year-old woman was charged for silently praying to end abortion in Scotland, Breitbart reported. This is the first time someone has been prosecuted under Scotland’s new Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act.
The vice president spoke at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 14, about the crackdown on freedoms, including through the use of buffer zone laws limiting access around abortion mills. It makes silent prayer near these facilities punishable by law.
Vance rightly warned that this proved that Europe is going the wrong way regarding basic rights. "In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat," Vance said.
Vice President JD Vance criticized Europe for their crackdown on freedom of speech while attending the Munich Security Conference.
READ MORE: https://t.co/Cf2I8Puj1w pic.twitter.com/KUCT89CCRM
— The National Desk (@TND) February 14, 2025
Less than a week after Vance made this speech, an elderly woman became the first to be arrested for a "silent vigil" in Glasgow, Scotland. Critics believe the charge is akin to a "thought crime," a term coined by George Orwell as a warning about tyranny.
The law, enacted last year, gives police the power to arrest anyone silently praying near these clinics where unborn babies are massacred with abandon. While it states that it is a crime to hold protests or vigils within 200 meters of abortion facilities, that prohibition now includes prayer.
Footage of the arrest was posted to social media, and the police seemed to confirm the criminality of an elderly woman making silent supplications. The woman asked the officers, "Am I committing an offense?"
A male officer replied, "Yes, I believe you are conducting a silent vigil." Though critics balked at his speech, this is precisely what Vance warned about.
🚨BREAKING🚨: Scottish police filmed applying “buffer zone” law to “silent vigil”, despite recent denials from the Scottish government! 👮♂️
“Am I committing an offence?”
“Yes, I believe you are conducting a silent vigil”
Vance was right. The law IS being misapplied to prayer!🏴 pic.twitter.com/Gsm0x4yspM
— Lois McLatchie Miller (@LoisMcLatch) February 18, 2025
Despite the obvious attack on free speech, Scottish politicians clearly have no shame about such a crackdown on fundamental freedoms. Gillian Mackay, the Scottish Greens Party parliament member who crafted the legislation, lauded the actions of police at the Glasgow hospital, the BBC reported.
"The protests that have taken place outside Queen Elizabeth have been utterly shameful, and I am grateful to Police Scotland for acting so quickly. This kind of intimidation has no place in a modern or progressive Scotland," Mackay claimed.
"Everybody deserves to have access to healthcare without harassment," she added. This "harassment" includes the silent prayer organized by the pro-life organization 40 Days for Life, which Mackay Personall called on by name to "think again" before protesting near the facilities.
The organization's website states that "40 Days for Life is an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses." However, this is still considered a threat by the tyrants in Europe.
Vance is correct in sounding the warning about threats to free speech. People who embrace abortion already disregard the lives of the unborn, so they see no problem in restricting the freedoms of others, and that's dangerous.
