Freedom of speech as a virus, and censorship as a vaccine? Von der Leyen did not say that.

In the media, we often encounter quotes taken out of context and distorted statements by politicians. This time, it concerns Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. In posts appearing online, controversial words have been attributed to her, stirring some public opinion. Let's take a closer look at this matter.

“Ursula von der Leyen says that freedom of speech is like a virus, and censorship is the vaccine. EU politicians want to silence us” – warns one user of the platform X. Other similar posts have appeared online, most of which include a video purportedly showing the President of the European Commission making these words.

It is worth noting that the source of this information is the account @RadioGenoa, which regularly publishes fake news and is known for spreading pro-Russian narratives. The original post in English was published on April 26, 2025, and again on May 30. Both posts have about 500,000 views (as of 17.06.2025).

Ursula von der Leyen says free speech is like a virus and censorship is its vaccine. EU politicians want to silence us. pic.twitter.com/JNn9HSX7Xt

— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) May 30, 2025

Such accusations against the President of the EC are nothing new. Similar posts appeared on social media as early as May 2024 and, every few months, recurred, consistently gaining popularity. A post from February 2025 even commented by Elon Musk. 

We listen, then evaluate 

Let's not dismiss this information outright; let's give it a chance – maybe this time it's true? After all, a video is attached to the post, which is supposed to serve as evidence. In the film, Ursula von der Leyen says (own translation by the author):

Perhaps, if we consider information manipulation as a virus – instead of treating the infection once it has spread, which corresponds to debunking – it is better to vaccinate the organism to prevent infection. This is exactly what prebunking is about. Because disinformation relies on people passing it on to others [...]. As our knowledge grows, the chances of being manipulated decrease. This builds societal immunity, which we will need.

The original statement in English was:

Perhaps, if you think of information manipulation as a virus – instead of treating an infection, once it has taken hold, that is debunking – it is much better to vaccinate so that the body is inoculated. Prebunking is the same approach. Because disinformation relies on people passing it on to others (...). As the knowledge goes up, our chance of being influenced goes down. That builds up to society's resilience that we will need. 

It turns out that the President of the EC indeed used a virus and vaccine analogy, but in a completely different context than some internet users suggest. She compared misinformation and disinformation to a virus, and prebunking – activities aimed at developing critical thinking skills and raising awareness of disinformation and ways of its spread – to a vaccine.

Prebunking is not censorship 

Prebunking is not censorship – it is a method to increase society’s resilience to disinformation. Unlike censorship, which restricts access to information, prebunking involves providing people with knowledge and tools that help them better recognize manipulation. The goal is to teach independent decision-making based on reliable sources.

Summary

Ursula von der Leyen did not say that “freedom of speech is like a virus, and censorship is the vaccine” – social media posts attributed words to her that she never uttered. The President of the European Commission indeed used the metaphor of a virus and a vaccine, but in relation to disinformation and the strategy of prebunking, which aims to build societal immunity, among other things, through developing skills to recognize manipulation.

The claim that Ursula von der Leyen wants to introduce censorship most likely stems from the belief that actions aimed at countering disinformation lead to restrictions on freedom of speech. This is a far-reaching overinterpretation of the EC president's statement, which in the attached video does not refer to freedom of speech or censorship.

Presenting subjective interpretation as fact is a common practice that distorts the message and can influence perceptions of people or topics – especially on social media, where simplifications spread quickly.