Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin, RFK Highlight Growing Threat to Free Speech After Durov Arrest

The number of celebrities and public figures supporting Pavel Durov following his controversial arrest in France earlier this weekend has exploded.

Among them are Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy, Vitalik Buterin, Jackson Hinkle and Tucker Carlson.

Durov Arrested

CryptoPotato Durov’s arrest Saturday night in France was reported earlier in the day. According to local media, the messaging app he runs failed to moderate the content. He faces up to 20 years in prison for possible offenses including money laundering, aiding and abetting, terrorism and drug trafficking.

Toncoin, a cryptocurrency project closely tied to Telegram, has seen increased turbulence, especially its native token. TON fell more than 20% after the news broke, dropping from over $6.75 to below $5.4.

The team behind the project stressed their support for Durov and freedom of expression on X, saying that the “TON community remains strong and fully operational.”

“As a community committed to freedom of expression and decentralization, we stand firmly with Pavel during this difficult time. Pavel is a strong advocate for these values ​​and we believe his efforts to promote an open and decentralized Internet will continue to inspire millions,” the post reads.

Free Movement Pavel

Elon Musk, one of the most vocal defenders of free speech, was one of the first to declare his support for Durov by posting the hashtag “#FreePavel.” True to his sarcastic nature in such situations, he later added: “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme,” referring to the growing censorship on the continent.

Robert F. Kennedy, who withdrew from the US presidential race on Friday and endorsed Donald Trump, also spoke out on the issue, stressing the importance of protecting free speech.

American journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson, who interviewed Durov earlier this year, said it was not Putin and Russia who arrested the Telegram CEO for “allowing the public to exercise their freedom of speech. It was a Western country, an ally of the Biden administration and an enthusiastic member of NATO, that locked him up.”

“Pavel Durov is in prison tonight in France, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intelligence agencies. Darkness is falling fast on the once free world.”

Another American political commentator, Jackson Hinkle, gave an intriguing version of why Durov might have been arrested.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin claimed that he had previously criticized Telegram for “not being serious about encryption.” However, he stressed the seriousness of the situation given the known information about Durov’s arrest.

“But (given the information available so far: the accusation seems to be simply about not moderating the use of the app and not disclosing user data) this looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and communications freedom in Europe.”