Rumble and Rebel News have joined forces to challenge Canadian efforts to suppress free speech.
Rumble Canada announced on Monday its participation in a lawsuit filed by Rebel News Network and its founder, Ezra Levant, to challenge blatant censorship efforts in Canada. Rumble argues that the defendants—the Canadian government and Member of Parliament Ya’ara Saks, along with other officials—have been “conspiring to deprive [plaintiffs] of their constitutional right to free expression,” after their livestreamed event was targeted. 
The new lawsuit, filed at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, contends that Canadian authorities deliberately imposed excessive security costs to sabotage two Toronto-area events: “Rumble Live” and “Rebel News Live.”
The joint in-person events—hosted in May 2024— were also streamed online and featured Levant, Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski, and Donald Trump Jr. as speakers.
Now, Rumble and Rebel News are suing for “$37,177.80 for the excessive security costs, $250,000 in punitive damages,” and also legal expenses. According to Rumble, police last year admitted there was a low risk of riots or violence, yet security charges exceeded the entire cost to put on the event.
Rumble even quoted an internal message from a city official asking: “I am wondering if you think there is any language within the lease agreement that would permit us to stop this event from happening.” Rumble noted that MP Saks personally got involved by attacking Rebel News on X and highlighting its support for her conservative opponent.
Rumble and Rebel News are framing this as censorship because of the security costs and government interference with the lease agreement the companies had with their venue—which specifically protected free speech. This lawsuit is the latest in a series of Rumble’s efforts to combat censorship online and in public, which has led to clashes with Google and foreign governments.
“The [venue] Agrees to: uphold free speech principles and contractual obligations, irrespective of the event’s content or the public’s reaction to such content,” Rumble quoted the agreement. “The [venue] shall not cancel or postpone the event due to external pressures, including but not limited to public dissent, social media campaigns, safety concerns (other than those unrelated to the event), or politically motivated requests.”
This is not the first time that Rumble has sued government officials for violating free speech. In February, it sued Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for ordering that certain accounts be suspended on the platform. In the U.S., Rumble sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom in November 2024 over his “war against political speech.”
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment and provide an equal platform for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
