Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski announced that he has “safely departed” from Europe following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France and subsequent threats made against Rumble by French authorities.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on Sunday after arriving from Azerbaijan on a private jet. The arrest, carried out under a warrant for Durov, who holds dual citizenship in both France and the United Arab Emirates, is reportedly linked to allegations that he failed to moderate content on Telegram. Durov now faces serious charges, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and receiving stolen goods, which could result in a 20-year prison sentence.
In response to the situation, Pavlovski issued a strong statement condemning the actions against Durov and reaffirming his commitment to defending freedom of expression.
“France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech,” Pavlovski wrote in a post on X. “Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov’s immediate release.”
Pavlovski further highlighted in another post on X that Rumble has faced bans and threats from several countries worldwide. He stressed that “free speech is under major assault” and vowed to continue the fight.
In light of the incident, Elon Musk, the owner of X, also weighed in, underscoring the importance of supporting free speech. He encouraged users to share posts on his platform, particularly in countries with strict censorship, stating, “It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward X posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries.”