Rumble CEO says he’s safely left Europe after France arrests Telegram CEO over 'failure' to moderate content

Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski has announced that he has “safely departed” from Europe following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France and subsequent threats made against Rumble by French authorities.

Durov was previously detained at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on Sunday after arriving from Azerbaijan on a private jet. The arrest, executed under a warrant for Durov who holds dual citizenship of both France and the United Arab Emirates, reportedly stems from allegations that Durov failed to moderate content on Telegram. He now faces a potential 20-year prison sentence on charges including terrorism, narcotics trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and receiving stolen goods.

In a statement, Pavlovski condemned the actions taken against Durov and vowed to fight for freedom of expression.

“France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech,” Pavlovski said in a post on X. “Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov’s immediate release.”

Pavlovski also pointed out in an additional post on X that Rumble has been banned and threatened by several countries around the world. He stated that “free speech is under major assault” and that he “will not stop fighting for it.”

In response to the incident, Elon Musk, the owner of X, emphasized the importance of supporting free speech. He urged users to share posts on his platform, particularly in countries with heavy censorship, stating, “It is vital to the support of free speech that you forward X posts to people you know, especially in censorship-heavy countries.”