Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin, RFK Highlight Growing Free Speech Threat After Durov’s Arrest

The number of celebrities and well-known public figures supporting Pavel Durov after his controversial arrest in France earlier this weekend has skyrocketed.

Some of those include Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Vitalik Buterin, Jackson Hinkle, and Tucker Carlson.

Durov’s Arrest

CryptoPotato reported earlier today Durov’s arrest in France on Saturday evening, which, according to local media, was because the popular messaging app he runs failed to moderate the content. He faces up to 20 years of prison for possible offenses like money laundering, complicity, terrorism, and narcotics.

Toncoin, a cryptocurrency project strongly related to Telegram, experienced enhanced turbulence, especially its native token. TON plummeted by more than 20% after the news broke, from over $6.75 to under $5.4.

The team behind the project outlined its support for Durov and free speech on X, saying that the “TON community remains strong and fully operational.”

“As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we stand firmly by Pavel during this challenging time. Pavel has been a dedicated advocate for these values, and we believe his efforts to promote an open and decentralized internet will continue to inspire millions.” – reads the post.

Free Pavel Movement

Being among the most vocal supporters of free speech, Elon Musk was among the first to declare his support for Durov as he posted the hashtag “#FreePavel.” Staying true to his sarcastic nature in such situations, he added later: “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme,” referring to the growing censorship in the continent.

Robert F. Kennedy, who dropped out of the US presidential race on Friday and supported Donald Trump, also weighed in on the matter, indicating the importance of protecting free speech.

The US journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson, who had an interview with Durov earlier this year, said it wasn’t Putin and Russia who arrested Telegram’s CEO for “allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him away.”

“Pavel Durov sits in a French jail tonight, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies. Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world.”

Another US political commentator, Jackson Hinkle, brought an intriguing version of why Durov might have been arrested.

Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, asserted that he used to criticize Telegram before for “not being serious with encryption.” However, he outlined the seriousness of the situation given the known information about Durov’s arrest.

“But (given the info available so far: the charge seems to be just being “unmoderated” and not giving up people’s data), this looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe.”