Scottish Trade Unionist's remarks ring true for Africans

For us at African Stream, Scottish trade unionist Jimmy Reid's remarks about freedoms of the press and speech are particularly relevant, given three social media platforms banned our accounts earlier this week. We got de-platformed after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused us—without providing evidence—of giving a voice to Kremlin propagandists.

Governments claim everyone has rights and freedoms. However, upon closer examination, according to Reid, rights and freedoms prove to be abstract.

According to international law, a Malian farmer has the same legal rights and access to justice as Nestlé CEO Ulf Mark Schneider. However, when Malians lost a lawsuit against food companies Nestlé and Cargill over allegations they were trafficked as children, not paid for their work, threatened with starvation if they did not work, and forced to live in squalor. In theory they had a strong case but in reality companies like companies Nestlé and Cargill were always going to come out on top, and they did.

Over in Nigeria, rural villagers in the Niger River Delta are allegedly equal to the executives running oil companies Shell and Chevron. But who do you think has the upper hand in the courtroom?

Legally, African Stream has the same rights to freedom of speech and the press as the New York Times, CNN and the BBC. However, our ban from Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, show that free speech and freedom of the press, both enshrined in the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights are only real when you don't speak truth to power.

Under capitalism, most of our freedoms are abstract because, while we have the same legal rights as those who run the imperialist global order, we do not have the resources to fight to maintain these so-called freedoms.

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin infamously said, 'There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.' Sounds like US Secretary of State Antony Blinken might agree with his sentiments.

Video credit: Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2 on X)