I’m a fierce free speech promoter, but allowing anyone to speak their voice is quite different from giving them a pulpit and paying them to do so.
Marine Le Pen, like most speakers at big events like the Web Summit 2018 where she was supposed to speak at, would be paid to do so.
That means that an event sponsored by a state that rejects fascist association in it’s constitution (articles 46 and 160) was about to have sponsored (by both central and local governments in Portugal) the leader of Front Nationale, the French extreme right wing party, promoters of xenophobia and fascism.
Yes, they can speak their ideals and I defend that right, go to the streets if you want to, but I cannot accept that some of my money (via taxes) can finance their activities.
Screw you, fascists.
Now if only Web Summit did the same with the other kinds of extremists they have on their agenda…