The United States government, in collaboration with Google, Facebook, Twitter and other information technology corporations, is implementing massive restrictions on Internet access to socialist, antiwar and progressive websites. Capitalist governments in Europe and throughout the world are enacting similar repressive policies.

The ruling class launched this desperate campaign in a desperate response to growing mass opposition to social inequality and war. Workers and young people around the world are using the Internet to coordinate struggles and share information outside of the control of the corporate media.

The World Socialist Web Site, which has been a principal target of the censorship campaign, is leading a fight against the greatest attack on free speech since the Second World War. In January, it called for an International Coalition of Socialist, Antiwar and Progressive Websites Against Internet Censorship to expose what is taking place and coordinate opposition.

This meeting will explore the political context of efforts to censor the Internet, examine the pretexts used to justify the suppression of free speech (e.g., “fake news”), and discuss a political strategy to mobilize the working class in defense of democratic rights.