Google just lost a court case in Italy after censoring a religious blog—an act MRC called out as one of the worst censorship cases this summer.
MRC reported in July that Google Blogger deplatformed Messa in Latino (Mass in Latin) for alleged hate speech. On Nov. 14, the blog’s editor, Luigi Casalini, triumphantly told LifeSiteNews he won a legal case against Google, framing it as a victory for “freedom of speech” and setting a “precedent” for Europeans to challenge Big Tech.
MRC reached out to Google for comment, but the company did not respond as of the publication of this article.
In the interview, Casalini said that Google admitted during the course of the lawsuit that the censorship was originally triggered by the blog publishing an Italian translation of a letter from U.S. Bishop Joseph Strickland.
The latter commented on calls for a female diaconate, that “although women have always held a prominent place in the Church, as martyrs, mystics, and saints, their dignity is not increased by imitating male roles, but by fully living the unique mission given to them by God.”
Google described the letter as offensive because it interpreted “unique” meant “limited” rather than “privileged.” The tech giant also took issue with the blog for simply noting official Church documents exclude the possibility of a female diaconate. “Practically speaking, Catholic doctrine is being banned,” Casalini argued.
Casalini specifically praised media outlets that highlighted his case. “[C]ensorship struck Messainlatino.it, but we were supported both legally and in the media. Thanks to this generosity and sensitivity, we managed to win against a Big Tech company like Google,” he celebrated.
He emphasized that this victory is not just about him, but about anyone who could find himself silenced online.
“Tomorrow it could happen to others who may not have the means to prevail against the Goliath of the moment, despite the clarity – as I believe I can say – of European laws regarding online presence and freedom of speech,” he said.
While the European Union Digital Services Act is a censorship law that targets alleged disinformation, the court cited the law to back Casalini and argue his rights were not properly respected.
Casalini slammed tech companies that can “suddenly and indiscriminately silence – let’s be clear – the work and economic freedom of potentially thousands of people.”
He accused Google of putting roadblock after roadblock in the way of his quest for restoring his blog, arguing that “Google interrupted an information service appreciated and sought after by countless readers: at the time of the block, we had published at least 23,000 posts! We did not even receive a prior warning message.”
Free speech is under attack! Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
