The cryptocurrency industry is facing criticism for its lack of support for free speech. Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week, the community has been silent on Trump’s new wave of McCarthy-style mass firings.
Many of the figures who defended free speech during the Biden presidency are now silent or even gloating about the situation. One thing is certain: crypto has changed in the past few years.
Cryptocurrencies, Free Speech, and Charlie Kirk
Bitcoin was created with the principles of freedom, trustlessness, and Borderless, and freedom of speech has long been an important issue for the cryptocurrency community.
Many prominent figures in the community have strongly opposed deplatforming under President Biden, calling it a violation of free speech.
But now, a new crisis has clearly shown how much this space has changed. Since the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk last week, President Trump has unleashed a campaign of mass firings, targeting teachers , government workers and ordinary citizens over alleged social media comments.
Last night, the FCC threatened ABC with license revocation, forcing the network to cancel a popular talk show. This may seem like a straightforward free speech issue, but many crypto leaders don’t seem to see it that way.
The response has been silence, leading some industry veterans to criticize this apparent hypocrisy.
Since the crypto community rallied in support of free speech earlier this year, even winning significant support , this silence is particularly notable.
These leaders are often close to the president, representing some of his biggest donors. Their responses paint a clear picture.
Silence and glee
Many leading figures simply said nothing. David Bailey, a key Trump ally, condemned Kirk's assassination as an attack on free speech just hours after it happened.
But while civil rights groups warn that President Trump's involvement in the firings is reminiscent of McCarthyism, Bailey has yet to draw similar comparisons.
Some crypto leaders have taken a more aggressive approach. Over the past few years, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has repeatedly denounced corporate attacks on free speech, criticizing private companies for their aggressiveness in crypto.
This week, the same man justified these crackdowns, even using deplatforming clichés that might fit in a Biden administration:
“Free speech doesn’t mean speech has no consequences. It means the government can’t remove you from a platform. Private individuals and businesses have every right to discriminate however they see fit,” Hoskinson recently said .
All that said, this free speech debate is a useful barometer for the crypto industry. Things have changed dramatically in the past few years, and the universal values of Satoshi’s time may no longer be as important as they once were.
In this uncertain environment, it can be difficult to know what the community really values anymore.
